The Doctor as an Organization Man
1973; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 16; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/pbm.1973.0044
ISSN1529-8795
Autores Tópico(s)Academic Freedom and Politics
ResumoTHE DOCTOR AS AN ORGANIZATION MAN NATHANIEL E. REICH, M.D., FA.C.P., FA.C.C.* A standing joke in Germany has it that when two Germans meet they shake hands, but when three meet they form a club. It has been estimated that every second German belongs to some sort of club. It is not much different with other nationalities. Joining happens to be a human projection of a herding instinct. In essence, an organization is a group of persons who, having found a common objective, meet periodically to change it. Doctors are no exception to this rule. During his lifetime, almost every doctor manages to join at least one of the following types of organizations: college fraternity, alumni association , political party, fellowship, country club, medical society, sports alliance, and military service. Samuel Johnson, the master lexicographer, defined a club as an assembly of good fellows meeting under certain conditions. Unfortunately , the reason why so many groups have come and gone is that too many of them have met under uncertain conditions. In other words, their purposes may have been too ill-defined or unnecessary. Ten new ones seem to spring up to replace the old one. The reason is quite simple. Everybody wants to join a group or two in order to establish an identity. In several major American cities, more than 50,000 clubs have been registered. The individual interest can be highly varied. For example, there are people who belong to disparate or unique groups, such as the Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarían Baptists, Altrusa International, American Latvian Association, Automotive Old Timers, Blizzard Men and Ladies of 1888, Button Society of America, Circus Fans Association of America, Daughters of 1812, Dialect Society, Ducks Unlimited, American Order of Hoo Hoo, Vegetarian Party, Portuguese Continental Union of USA, Retreads , National Thrift Committee, and the Schwenckfelder Church. The variety is limitless. In addition to the usual profusion of eating, * 135 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11238. 308 I Nathaniel E. Reich · Doctor as Organization Man drinking, and dancing clubs and other diverse social and economic groupings, there are thousands of esoteric organizations, including a league of Lovers of Old Tin Soldiers, Anti-Bribery Association, Beer Coaster Collectors Club, and even associations for deaf Catholics and deaf Protestants. A club pin, club rules, and a club handshake or other sign of recognition are de rigueur. The herding instinct actually begins early in life. I happen to be an inveterate joiner. A catalog of my earliest organizations (up to the age of 15 years) includes the Kosciuszko Street Rats, Clifton Place Punchball Team, Advanced Drawing Club in public school, High School Swimming Team, and Roosevelt Society ("character, personality , and ability"). After studying the violin for 1 year at Miss Christman 's School of Music, I was offered a spot in the Lubin Boys' String Jazz Orchestra. It consisted of four violins, one piano, one banjo, and one harmonica. The elongated title was derived from two teen-age brothers, who were its founding fathers. My mother had visions of another Heifetz or Elman and said that jazz would spoil my technique (which was definitely nonexistent). I recall that after school we struggled through such classics as "Over There" and "Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie" for nearly 2 weeks before the group collapsed as a result of musical discord coupled with a total lack of harmony. However, there may be serendipity in such connections. My interest in medicine was accidentally acquired during a brief encounter with scouting. I learned the scout oath, slogan, sign, salute, and handclasp . Also, I learned to do a good deed every day and to be useful to others. I eventually went on an overnight camping trip which got rained out. However, it was the first-aid activities that made me feel important. We were taught that it frequently meant the difference between life and death. I learned what to do about snake bite ("Suck out the poison"), frost bite ("Don't stick the foot in hot water"), and dog bite ("Push him away"). I never helped an old lady cross the street or won a merit badge. I just got bored with the routines...
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