Sherwin Nuland, MD: 1930 – 2014

I've never been one to fawn over the acts of famous people. When a famous person died, my mom would say, "Oh, how sad," and be visibly upset by that person's death. For me, I was less moved. I didn't know that person. What did some movie star contribute to my life?

Unfortunately, I am saddened this time to dedicate this issue of Practice Perfect to Sherwin Nuland, MD, who passed on March 3, 2014.

You may or may not know Dr. Nuland's name. If you do, it was likely from reading one of his incredible books or an article in the New Yorker or perhaps hearing him speak in various television or radio interviews. Dr. Nuland was a general surgeon who taught at the Yale University School of Medicine, a historian and bioethicist, among many of his other contributions to society.

I never met Dr. Nuland, but he was one of my personal heroes. As a physician blogger myself, I could understand in some tiny way – and on a much smaller scale – some of the joys and tribulations of writing in the public realm. It's not always easy or comfortable to open your opinions to public scrutiny, and he did that in a major way. He informed the public about medicine, past and present, in a way few others could.

Tonight's Premier Lecture is
The Next Generation of Wound Care: Understanding Placental Membranes
Lawrence Lavery, DPM

Dr. Nuland also introduced me to the love of medical history. The first medical history book I read was Doctors: The Biography of Medicine. His masterful style and impeccable research brought to life the rich history of medicine that sparked my personal desire to learn more. His book How We Live was a highly sensitive and insightful approach to the human body that solidified my interest in a medical career while I was in college. In some ways, I have him to thank for my current career.

I send my personal condolences to Dr. Nuland's family and friends, of which I'm certain there are many. I'm posting his list of books below for the interested reader. We might not have known this great person directly, but reading his body of work speaks for itself as to what kind of person he was.