The Compleat Physician: Reflections from a golden era of clinical medicine

Denis R Benjamin, a pediatric pathologist, details the wonder and challenges of medical education in apartheid South Africa. The 1960s was the golden era for training physicians in the high art of clinical diagnosis, before technology became dominant, displacing the use of our senses. We accompany him through medical school, the remarkable teachers and the lessons learned from fascinating patients and their maladies. This is followed by the adaptation of an immigrant physician to medical practice, living and training in the USA, concluding with observations of the current state of medical care - what has been lost and what has been gained. It is a journey of dedication and serendipity, linked by unexpected and surprising incidents and intriguing experiences.