Health Scenes 6.

The Caption: Plaque found at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). When translated into English it reads: he who teaches learns.

The Comment: This phrase reminds me of the naturopathic principle I love most: doctor as teacher. The field of naturopathic is both a selfless and selfish profession.  As a good doctor, you have to be empathetic, gentle, non judgmental, caring, etc. It can quite a taxing profession; giving patients the attention and care they need day in and day out. However, there are selfish reasons drawing me to the profession too: learning all about the body, disease detection techniques, applying the health advice given to patients to personal health, etc. Yes, I will be a doctor and a teacher, but the ROM phrase reminds me that I too will be doing a lot of learning, as every new patient will provide me with a new opportunity to learn.  There will be many days when I will be the pupil and the patient the educator!