Medicine for me, seems to be the perfect balance of scientific theory, human pathology, and ethical moral dilemmas. Medicine has struck me as a life-long, challenging yet fulfilling career, of which no one day will be the same. Whilst reading on the biochemistry of cells, in books such as Chemistry of Life by Steven Rose, I was shown the ways in which chemistry builds the foundations for cell biology within the millions of ways that chemicals interact within just a few metabolic pathways. This lead me to explore the ways biochemistry interacted with human pathology, how these pathways are not always perfect, particularly in cancer when reading The Cancer Chronicles by George Johnson. Not only did the science of cancer interest me greatly, but also into the lives of doctors and surgeons who treat patients suffering from the harsh reality of cancerous tumours. Specifically, I have read books of Atul Gawande and Henry Marsh as they delve into the harsh but captivating world of medicine and surgery. I feel as if they opened to me the realism of the world of medicine, yet did little to supress my strong …show more content…
Something that was highlighted over the course of this was the importance of communication and the skill of changing tone and level of speech depending on who you are speaking to; whether it is to patients, nurses or fellow doctors. My own ability to do this was thoroughly tested on the UNIQ Summer School for Medicine, where we attempted mock GP patient interviews with actors. Whilst difficult, I feel this built a foundation of knowledge in me as to the moral and professional role that any clinical doctor has whilst speaking to patients, and also how to effectively withdraw and convey vital