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Depression and Inflammation
The practice of obstetrics and gynaecology is normally a kaleidoscope of colours –from the pale red blush of an embarrassed face, the bright green flash of twinkling eyes, to the panoply of skin colours proudly arrayed like just-washed clothes in the waiting room. There is no rank to the colours, no special prize for the…
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The Tampon Tax
I have to admit that I am sometimes puzzled. Not, you understand, to suggest that I am omniscient at other times, but merely that I, too, am apt to get lost in the various back alleys of our government. They seldom come with maps; they are not meant for untroubled navigation. In fact, I suspect…
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Elder Gynaecology
I love old people. Sounds a bit patronizing I suppose but I’m becoming one of them, so I have vested interests. And anyway, even the most reticent among them have had a unique, personal view of history. A well tested perspective of Time and its evolutionary ravages. They have grown an almost uncanny ability to…
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Sleeping in the Call Room
Sometimes in the sounding night, with footsteps rushing past and light-bound shadows flashing orally under the firmly closed door, I awaken, startled, and wonder if I am next. It takes me a moment to clear the fog of that constantly unsettled semi-sleep, and understand that I am not at home. And won’t be for uncountable time.…
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Vehicular Obstetrics
Here I am in New Zealand, land of narrow roads, one lane bridges, and at least for us North Americans, the necessity of switching our cultural allegiance from the right to the left hand side of the road. Personally, my greatest struggle is remembering to get into the car through the correct door. Everything seems…
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You Got Me Pregnant!
Some things seem to go unappreciated don’t they? They’re background noise. Shadows in the moonlight. You might think that this doesn’t apply to medicine, but it does. Much of what we do is taken for granted –or at least taken for expected… appreciated, but for a variety of reasons, not publically acknowledged. And that’s fine…
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The Unexpected
What I like about the unexpected is that you never expect it. It’s a surprise. A gift. And the world is filled with this stuff. Each day at work –I’m a gynaecologist- there are little treasures hidden within appointments, presents in names. Especially the unpronounceable Persian names that unravel when I try to work at…
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Cohabitation?
Cohabitation is the bête noir of some cultures and the realization of a belle époque for others. Lascivious as it sounds, it doesn’t necessarily exemplify freedom and liberation, though -it is a direct and unsubtle abnegation of long held moral and religious values for many. But why? Why would the decision to share one’s life need…