National Doctor's Day - thank you to all physicians everywhere!

My first faculty appointment following fellowship was at the Children's Medical Center at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia (the hospital and university have since gone through a number of name changes and are now called Children's Hospital of Georgia and Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, respectively).  The Medical College of Georgia actually has a very long and proud history as the nation's 13th oldest medical school and the third-oldest medical school in the Southeast.  There is apparently a tradition (I was only there for a year and must have missed this one!) called the "Raft Debate" that has faculty answering the question, "A surgeon, an internist, and a pediatrician are aboard a sinking ship.  Their only escape is a one-person raft.  Who should be the sole survivor?"  The idea is for the faculty to convince medical students on the pros and cons of the different medical subspecialties! 


One of the things that I remember most about my time at MCG was a plaque in the old library building dedicated to one of the school's early founders, Dr. Milton Antony.  Dr. Antony is buried at the historic "Old Medical College of Georgia" site (which is now on the National Register - see here), and I believe the plaque was originally at his burial site.  The plaque recognized Dr. Antony's contributions to medicine in the city of Augusta, the state of Georgia, and the Southeast region.  Notably, Dr. Antony founded the Southern Medical and Surgical Journal, which is still published today by the Southern Medical Association as the Southern Medical Journal. The plaque contains the following inscription:


In memory of Milton Anthony, M.D., Founder of this College.  A martyr to humanity and to the duties of his profession, during the fatal epidemic of 1839.  Cheered by Religious Faith through the Griefs and Trials of this life, he passed from the cure of the sick to the sleep of the just, amid the tears and blessings of the poor.  True to his own favorite maxim that a virtuous will is almost omnipotent, he overcame by study the defects of education and, patiently toiling to eminence, bequeathed to posterity a noble example of genius and industry, animated and directed by Patriotism and benevolence.

What impressed me then, and why I remember the plaque to this day, was the fact that Dr. Antony gave his life in service to his poor patients during a Yellow Fever epidemic in the year 1839.  How many other physicians have died, doing their duty in providing care to the sick?  The lesson stuck in my mind then, and I remember it even today.  I was reminded yet again of the lessons of service, sacrifice, and altruism during the 2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa - so many of our fellow physicians went to West Africa to provide care.  So many of our fellow physicians signed up to care for potential Ebola patients here in the United States (a possibility that once seemed so remote, but soon became reality when two health care workers contracted the illness while providing care for one of the Ebola patients that had been transported to the U.S. for care).


So it is with the memory of Dr. Antony and my time at the Medical College of Georgia that I wish all of my fellow physician colleagues a heartfelt "Congratulations" and "Thank You" on this National Doctor's Day, March 30, 2018!