I came upon this famous piece by Jack London again the other day and thougth
how well it described A&E at times. (A&E consultants who work out of hours
will particularly recognise it !) Maybe we should put it into induction
packs for the new SHOs coming soon:
"Buck's first day on the Dyea beach was like a nightmare. Every hour was
filled with shock and surprise. He had been suddenly jerked from the heart
of civilization and flung into the heart of things primordial. No lazy,
sun-kissed life was this, with nothing to do but loaf and be bored. Here was
neither peace, nor rest, nor a moment's safety. All was confusion and
action, and every moment life and limb were in peril. There was imperative
need to be constantly alert; for these dogs and men were not town dogs and
men. They were savages, all of them, who knew no law but the law of club and
fang."
Dr John Ryan
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