Introductions and Intentions
“Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.” -G.M. Trevelyan
I. Love. This. Quote. Trevelyan is basically mourning the application of literacy to a lesser alternative, something less-desirable than that which is “worth reading.” Sometimes as a physician, I find myself in Trevelyan’s shoes: mourning the literary choices of my patients. As I have explored the various reasons as to why patients turn so desperately to less-than-ideal sources (*cough-that-sounds-like-google*), I can’t help but admit that many physicians don’t do a great job engaging with patients in a relatable way. Not only that, medical research is very nuanced and filled with medical jargon that is difficult to understand. In my attempts to bring my understanding of allergy / immunology to a more conversational level, I hope to address both the truths and untruths that I encounter as an allergist-in-training and immunologist-in-training. What’s more, I hope to replace them with something that isn’t only true, but reads well just the same.
