Casebook of a Community Internist
Blogs
- 7/20/2026
Climate change: Why should physicians bother to care?
We feel impotent when it comes to changing the inevitable. How can I, in my lifetime, make the environment just a little less toxic? I know I am a powerful entity, saving lives and curing acne, but gosh, tornadoes seem beyond me. - 7/10/2026
Alysha’s story
Some weekends I covered the IM needs of two communities. I had a bright red sports car, which made it a bit more fun. But that morning wasn’t fun. It was tragic. - 6/3/2026
Misinformation and disinformation
Fact check, debunk and uncover the truth. We need honesty back in the medical mainstream. - 5/14/2026
Stress
As Dr. Hector Baillie writes, physicians ought not to underestimate stress, both in their patients and in their own practices. - 4/21/2026
Me vs. machine
As healthcare becomes more reliant on digital tools, Dr. Hector Baillie wonders how much of this information gathering actually improves patient care. - 4/10/2026
Poisons: then and now
In bygone days, changing the political or financial landscape with poison was not uncommon. Nowadays, the landscape is already polluted—in other ways. - 3/2/2026
Ships passing
Dr. Hector Baillie recounts a full-circle moment while meeting a familiar patient in the ER, 25 years later. - 1/22/2026
What my dog taught me (about medicine)
It was Cassie—our two-year-old chocolate Lab—who taught me how to live long and live well. - 12/15/2025
Healthcare 2.0: Can we do better?
What do I want in a healthcare system? I think everyone has different priorities, based on age, lifestyle and expectations. My list might include the following. - 10/14/2025
Tune up: A case for periodic maintenance
The repeat phone calls from the dealership were genuine. It had been more than a year since my last service. I got to thinking about my own body. Shouldn’t it too have scheduled maintenance? - 9/29/2025
First time(s)
I remember a few ‘firsts’ in my day. It can be a bit intimidating to be the first to do something in the ER. What if it goes wrong? But if it has to happen, if someone has to try a new method, it might as well be me. - 8/22/2025
E = mQ²: A formula for the enjoyment of life
Most of us know Albert Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc2. It struck me that a similar formulation could describe the enjoyment of life, in relationship to medical care, quantity and quality.