HomeRadioGraphicsVol. 28, No. 4 PreviousNext IlluminationsFree AccessThe Aging Radiologist: “You Are Old, Dr Williams”Donald M. BachmanDonald M. BachmanAuthor Affiliations1From the Department of Radiology, Metrowest Medical Center, Framingham/Natick, Mass. Received December 5, 2007; accepted January 29, 2008.Address correspondence to the author, 11 Bridle Path, Wayland, MA 01778 (e-mail: [email protected]).Donald M. BachmanPublished Online:Jul 1 2008https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.284075750MoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail The following poem was written as a clinical vignette to accompany a talk I gave at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America on the aging physician, as part of a refresher course, entitled “When the Physician is the Problem,” given by the RSNA’s Professionalism Committee. I freely adapted the poem from “You Are Old, Father William” by Lewis Carroll (1832–1898), which appeared in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865 with illustrations by John Tenniel (one of which I also adapted). Carroll’s poem parodied an older work by Robert Southey (1774–1843) entitled “The Old Man’s Comforts, and How He Gained Them.” The Dr Williams of my poem is not intended as a portrayal of any radiologists of my acquaintance who share the same name; they are all splendid and youthful fellows.Download as PowerPointOpen in Image Viewer You Are Old, Dr Williams“You are old, Dr Williams,” the department head said, “And your hair has become very white. And yet you incessantly read mammograms. Do you think, at your age, it is right?”“In my youth,” Dr Williams replied to his chair, “I feared it might injure the brain; But, now that I’m perfectly sure I have none, Why I read them again and again!”“You are old,” said the youth, “as I mentioned before, And you have grown most uncommonly fat; Yet you do barium enemas all by the score… Pray what is the reason for that?”“In my youth,” said the sage, as he shook his locks gray, “I kept all my organs most supple, With this special lead apron to fend off the rays. Allow me to sell you a couple?”“You are old,” said the chief, “and your jaws are too weak For anything tougher than suet, Yet you dictate your cases, week after week… Pray how do you manage to do it?”“In my youth, I testified malpractice law And argued each case with my wife; And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw, Has lasted the rest of my life.”“You are old.” Said the lad, “one hardly would think That your eye was as steady as ever; Yet you threaded a catheter quick as a wink. What made you so awfully clever?”“I have answered three questions, and that is enough,” Said the old man, “Desist I do pray. Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? I’m off to the RSNA!”Article HistoryPublished in print: July 2008 FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsRecommended Articles Customer Service in Radiology: Satisfying Your Patients and ReferrersRadioGraphics2018Volume: 38Issue: 6pp. 1872-1887In MemoriamRadiology2021Volume: 299Issue: 2pp. E260-E261Lessons on LeadershipRadioGraphics2018Volume: 38Issue: 6pp. 1688-16932017: A Look BackRadiology2017Volume: 285Issue: 3pp. 702-704Neurocristopathies: Enigmatic Appearances of Neural Crest Cell–derived AbnormalitiesRadioGraphics2019Volume: 39Issue: 7pp. 2085-2102See More RSNA Education Exhibits Single and Double-Contrast Barium Enema in Modern Radiology: Do They Have a Role?Digital Posters2019Reading Between the Guidelines: Techniques and Pitfalls in the Assessment of Resting Perfusion Defects on Dual Energy CT Coronary AngiographyDigital Posters2018Anorectal Manometry: A Complete Elimination of the Radiologistâs QuestionsDigital Posters2020 RSNA Case Collection Intussusception air enema reductionRSNA Case Collection2020Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney diseaseRSNA Case Collection2021Lipoid proteinosisRSNA Case Collection2020 Vol. 28, No. 4 Metrics Downloaded 1,846 times Altmetric Score