Underneath the academic curiosity

Abstract

As a medical student, I have now almost 6 years of academic studies and clinical interaction with numerous patients, though sometimes brief and superficial. I have found that sometimes it is truly hard to grasp how humane a person is behind their sickness. Fortunately, I have been hitherto able to avoid the almost natural desensitization our degree imposes upon us, either through my own process of thought or through a kind warning of some of “my” patients. Having been particularly thrown aback by the keen eye of a patient I had the opportunity to meet in an Oncology ward, I realized that I had much more to consider when studying a clinical case and that rarely a cancer (or a disease whatever it may be) is but a cancer. In fact, a disease needs a patient to be diagnosed upon and that patient has most often a life besides their disease.

Disclosure statement

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributor

Miguel Leal-Rato is a 6th year Medical student at the Faculty of Medicine the University of Lisbon, Portugal.