Memories, Medicine & Moods
Blogs
- 4/14/2026
People knew I was going to medical school before I did
This, my long and fulfilling career, was not an inevitability—but really the result of a chance meeting, a mentoring relationship and luck. - 3/16/2026
Cultural differences in the ER
Working in the small-town atmosphere of the Jewish community in Montreal. - 2/26/2026
Why are we so hooked on storytelling now?
Many organizations and governments are invested in the idea of physicians as commodi-ties, as interchangeable parts of a plug-and-play medical machine. - 1/23/2026
A real head case
‘I’m worried Dr. Perle,’ my patient said gravely. This was unlike her; she was usually a very tough and stoic customer. ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked. - 1/9/2026
Locker-room talk
After 40 years of giving advice professionally it has become something that I cannot turn off. - 12/9/2025
A Christmas story in L&D
Being Jewish I have always worked on Christmas. Having no family obligations, I always have fun at the parties people put on in the hospital. When I worked emergency, I always preferred the people suffering from indigestion and loneliness who showed up at Christmastime to the obnoxious drunks and driving disasters of New Years Eve. - 11/19/2025
Being seen in the worst of times
Sometimes toughing it out is a terrible idea—and it takes things truly falling apart before we admit we need help. - 10/6/2025
One day of sunshine
With her class reunion coming up, Dr. Perle Feldman reflects on a study session she remembers from her medical school days which as held particular significance ever since. - 9/3/2025
The fat lady speaks: Obesity has almost killed me several times but not how you might think
The stigma attached to being a fat doctor is huge. As a resident, supervisors would comment disparagingly about my weight. Once when I was seven months pregnant, the chief of the department commented that I was letting myself go. - 8/8/2025
Red flag, green flag: A few words about marriage
In my column on surviving in family medicine, I mentioned ‘don’t marry a jerk!’ as a key piece of advice. Let’s expand on that . . . - 7/9/2025
Five survival tips for a career in family medicine
I participated in one of the best workshops I have ever done in my many years of teaching. My colleague Dr. Jenny Wu asked three veteran family docs to give tips on how to survive and flourish during a long family medicine career. - 6/20/2025
The red shoes
Sometimes, it helps for a doctor's foot ware to already be the colour of blood.