From

Healers: Extraordinary Clinicians at Work

By David Schenck, Larry Churchill

"A physician, working abroad in a makeshift clinic for indigent

patients, sees that his next patient has no legs and is being

carried into the office by his family. The physician instinctively

begins to imagine how he can help this man. He likely needs

prostheses and crutches, maybe extensive diagnostic

procedures and further treatment for whatever medical condition

caused the loss of his legs.

“We couldn’t get him into a chair, so

' the nurse and I both decided to sit with him on the ﬂoor. We got

down and met him eye to eye and asked, ‘How are you?”’ Here

the physician was readying himself to hear a litany of medical

problems resulting from the absence of legs. “My eyes are

going bad,” the patient said. ‘‘I make shoes and can’t support

my family with failing eyes.” The physician was astonished: “We

Go go to the eye clinic. We find him some glasses, and he goes

back to work.” Against all expectations, a patient troubled by his

eyes—not his lack of Iegs—was helped almost immediately and

was enormously grateful. “This patient thought we were God

himself,” the doctor said."