Two teachers and a book.

Abstract

A few of you will remember the 1960s, but those who do not will nevertheless have heard of the Beatles. In 1960 my daily commute to Liverpool Medical School took me under the river Mersey on the local underground railway; on the station I saw a hand-printed poster advertising this new group. What a clever name, I thought, for a band performing in a Cavern! I was in my 5th year and on my way into the hospital. Later I attended a lecture by the Professor of Medicine, Lord Cohen of Birkenhead, who was an inspiring teacher on those occasions when his many other responsibilities allowed him to attend. In this lecture he addressed the broad subject of medicine and the environment, and drew our attention to a recently published book, Mirage of Health, by Rene Dubos.1 He suggested we read it, so I went to the one good bookshop in Liverpool and did so that week. Quoting widely from the Classics, from history, and from European literature, Dubos explains from a biologist’s point of view the extent to which human health is dependent upon the environment, be it microbiological, climatic, dietary or psychological, and how understanding of such interrelationships presents opportunities to improve health. He draws attention to the age-old conflict …