Abstract
Doctors often pursue other interests outside of medicine with remarkable passion and insight. Very rarely, a very gifted doctor will be able to use their medical work to inspire that outside interest. Dannie Abse was such a man, his work as a chest physician in London acting in synergy with his evocative poetry. His passing in September 2014 left us with a remarkable collection of verse, full of insight into medicine yet humane and compassionate. His first collection of poems, After Every Green Thing ,1 was published while still a medical student in London and resonated with Dylan Thomas’ declamatory style. He then served in the Royal Air Force2 and returned with a more mature voice in his book of parables Tenants of the House .3 Much of this early work was inspired by his brother Leo’s involvement in politics, where as a longstanding MP for Pontypool, he made huge changes to divorce and gay rights legislation. Around this time, Dr Abse also began writing prose as well as novels, the most famous being Ash on a Young Man’s Sleeve ,4 …
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Schedule a callMore From: The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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