Most Influential Pre Socratic Philosopher

In the reading Close Encounters of the Human Kind one quote stuck out in particular. When talking about the Katrina victims that he was treating Verghese said, "I understand that they needed me to ask... Hard men wiped at their eyes and became animated in the telling." Then upon reading a Fox News article about a female doctor who treated people in a hospital during the aftermath of Katrina another quote stuck out. Dr. Anna Pou said, "I remember patients lying on cots everywhere with every man, woman and child working tirelessly to comfort them. Young children, the nurses' children, held their hands, talked with them, fanned them and prayed with them... These are the memories that I will never forget; the many acts of love. (Hurricane 2)" The word "love" is what really stuck out to me in that passage.

Verghese later writes about how he knew that the illnesses in New Orleans that he was treating were, "inextricably linked to the bigger problems of homeless, disenfranchisement, and despair." Instantly a connection arose. I began to think, isn't the hand holding and comforting and loving of our fellow human beings the real therapy here? Isn't loving and comforting our fellow human beings the cure to all ailments and problems? Whether they be Katrina victims, homeless, or anyone else for that matter. The sad irony here is that this is not an encouraged philosophy per say. It is said that only doctors can actually heal, while in both articles, both doctors indirectly state that the real healing comes from the loving and comforting that was given. Are we not then all doctors, in this sense?

"Hurricane Katrina's Deadly Legacy At Memorial Medical Center | Fox News." Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos. 02 Oct. 2011 <http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/08/27/hurricane-katrinas-deadly-legacy-memorial- medical-center/>.

""Systemic Collapse: Medical Care in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina."" Center for Biosecurity of UPMC | Strengthening security. Building resilience. 02 Oct. 2011 <http://www.upmc- biosecurity.org/website/resources/publications/2006/2006-06-15- systemiccollapsemedcareafterkatrina.html>.