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TEACHING: The first bronze is entitled “First Cut”
and recalls the moment a senior surgeon put a scalpel
in my hand and guided me to make a cut into
human flesh for the very first time. This teaching
event is seared into my memory and is one of the
first steps in the making of a surgeon.
PATIENT CARE: The second bronze entitled “Consoling”
shows the two hands of the surgeon holding
a hand of a patient after the operation as he explains
how the surgery went and what will happen next.
RESEARCH: The third bronze is “Believing” and
shows two hands holding up a Petri Dish (the image
is also reminiscent of the priest holding up a
communion wafer). People often say that “Seeing is
Believing” but in reality, in both art and in science
the believing comes first. For example, I believed
that viruses could be genetically engineered to kill
cancer cells years before we could have others see
the possibility of oncolytic viruses which are now in
clinical use for cancer therapy. Similarly, the sculptures
on this website were only in my mind many
months or years before anyone could actually see
them.
RETIREMENT: The fourth, reminiscent of rebirth
or resurrection, is purposely done in white marble
from West Rutland, Vermont. At some point, a surgeon
must stop operating. Most surgeons fear this
moment. In some it leads to depression. Many put
if off as long as possible…sometimes too long and
have to be told to stop. But this change in life should
not be feared in that many of the same skills acquired
by the surgeon over decades can be applied
to other areas…for me, one such area is sculpting.
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