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ITHASBEENSAID ORIGINAL APHORISMS by THOMAS McKEOWN* It is fortunate that man learned to speak before philosophers discovered mat he is saying nothing. The young and the old differ less in die time at tiieir disposal than in their perception of it. With what fortitude we bear the suffering of others. Few men have the ambition to be great, although many aspire to be thought so. A woman is die more generous judge, a man the more just. The visits of some couples give us die dual pleasure of seeing the one arrive and the odier depart. Unlike the housewife searching for the best cut of beef, die predator stalking his prey has at least the excuse diat he is hungry and does his own dirty work. For die invalid nothing in art or science is of such absorbing interest as the colour of his urine and die quantity of his sputum. In his eyes die nurse who is unmoved by his specimens commits a breach not of duty but of taste. The most acute mind must extend itself to reach die subtleties of die heart. There are two classes of scientists: research workers and manipulators of die research scene. Material appearing under this tide is collected with the aim of making the serious a bit less serious, the ponderous a bit less heavy, and the reading hours a bit more fun. Toward Ulis goal we invite a guest editor of this feature for each issue. Will readers volunteer to share their senses of humor by collecting or recollecting items that have brought smiles to their faces? We invite your participation.»Department of Social Medicine, The Medical School, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TJ, England. Permission to reprint may be obtained only from the audior. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 26, 3 · Spring 1983 \ 375 Men rarely aspire to virtues which diey do not, in at least some small degree, already possess. Many differences would disappear if men discussed what they should do radier than why they should do it. If we could love our enemies we would have none. An opponent is formidable if he has a strong moral sense or none. It is the site of injury rather than its extent which suggests the malevolence of fate—Degas blind, Beethoven deaf, and Johnson dumb. To argue that a divine origin of existence is no more unlikely dian the fact of existence is to overlook the point, well recognized by any croupier, diat the occurrence of one unlikely event does not increase the probability of another. If we felt as deeply for our friends' tragedies as for our own, from the age of 50 we would be overwhelmed by grief. However much we may despise self-love, it serves at least as an essential protection against despair. If the young should be seen but not heard, die old should be heard but not seen, for the beauty of the voice long outlasts die beauty of the face. Is that all there is? A full view of the female genitalia and a full view of life invite the same question. The dramatist changes the props but keeps the players. The Almighty does the reverse. Some men succeed in spite of their faults, others because of them. Great abilities are common, great achievements are rare. Unless we can believe that there were some remarkable genetic mutations in Elizabethan England and Renaissance Italy, we must conclude that diere is a Shakespeare unfulfilled in London today and a Michelangelo in Rome. If only he can be assured diat you have no need of them, any banker will be delighted to place his resources at your disposal. His treatment of a drunk tells us more about a man's character than his treatment of the blind. The most generous gift is the one that relieves die recipient of the debt of gratitude. The law has for its end notjustice but peace. 376 J Thomas McKeovm · It Has Been Said Neverjudge a man to be a fool until you have observed his response to a dirty story. It is the only subject on which some people display their intelligence. It is generally more instructive to observe what a...

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