Hector Baillie
ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
- 6/1/2022
An enlightening first day in the office
Back to in-person consults, a concerning patient keeps Dr. Hector Baillie ruminating into the wee hours of the morning. - 5/22/2022
Atrial fibrillation: the beat of a different drum
Even in allaying patient fears, Dr. Hector Baillie discovers no one is immune to this cardiac condition. - 5/17/2022
Why are we still smoking?
Dr. Hector Baillie recounts the long history of the smoker whose vice continues to plague too many of us today. - 5/8/2022
Is misinformation the social disease of our times?
Dr. Hector Baillie argues that social media is eroding patient trust and unravelling society as we know it. - 4/28/2022
Handling fear—carefully
Dr. Hector Baillie was well into residency when it happened. A patient with liver failure. Gastroenterologist unavailable but said, 'you’ll have to put down a Sengstaken-Blakemore tube, and call me back.' - 4/21/2022
Scottish patter
Dr. Hector Baillie reminisces about amusing times when his Scottish vocabulary and accent bemused Canadians. - 1/22/2022
Trust me, I'm a doctor
You don't have to look too far to see the erosion of trust. The most frightening example is the COVID anti-vaxxer. I have spoken to a few: I try not to argue, just engage in respectful conversation. . . and find myself biting my tongue. - 12/30/2021
All in the family
My daughter had spent some time in Central America. The day she came home, she wasn’t her usual buoyant self. “I’m not hungry," she said, "and I have a sore tummy.” I learned that no parent should be in the position of being father and doctor to his adolescent child. - 12/19/2021
It's a dog's life
At the end of my career, I gravitated towards heart failure work and spent 11 years running a heart-function clinic. And jings crivens, would you believe it? My dog, Cassie, gets a check-up and the chest X-ray shows a huge cardiac silhouette. - 11/24/2021
My experiences of dying
The death of one of our patients is often considered a failure to maintain longevity. It’s not a topic for discussion at the dinner table, or in the office. But, sometimes we need to go to difficult places.
