The fall of the Titans.

In Greek mythology the Titans were the original Rock Star Gods, the younger Olympians being full of piss & vinegar, whipped their asses in an epic war, & tossed them down to earth. The Titans did not give up entirely, but many of them became acutely aware of their frailties, & those that chose to fight the Olympians, did so in a decidedly "gorilla" manner for maintaining what was left of their powers & revenge rather than to win the heavens back.

There are many humans in this day and age that either consciously or unconsciously buy into the notion that they are "gods". Most of them have what seems to them to be good reason for it. They do remarkable things very often that the "average" man or woman will never do. Physicians, are particularly prone to this type of thinking, being a fraternal order, they are encouraged to think this way by their superiors and peers.

I grew up in Dr.s offices, playing by my mother’s desk observing the "gods" as they preened & strutted, so often as the Greek gods did, looking for someone to stroke their ego's and laud their accomplishments. Even as a child, I found it offensive.
But I understand the temptation, people come to them weak, ill, & disabled and these men & women seek out the cause & often find the remedy for their subje...err patients. Surgeons are especially tempted to think of themselves as miracle workers, as nearly every time they go into the operating room they hold the very life of their patient in their hands. And usually they are successful.

Heady stuff, making the sick well, the blind see, the lame walk, the dying live. It is the stuff that gods are made of. No wonder they are tempted to think of themselves in such a light.

They are taught almost from the beginning of their entrance into their profession that some people won’t get better, some people they treat will die, but most will not. They are taught to put those that couldn't be saved behind them, not to dwell on them, there was after all no way to rescue them or their training would have done so.

This is reinforced by their experience, especially in 1st world countries, where the availability of the newest drugs, techniques, and facilities is ready for those that can afford it or have some benefactor willing to pay. These Dr's rarely fail, and when they do their training kicks in to insulate them from it.

Now reading up to this point, you must think I have a really terrible opinion of Dr.'s and you would be right. I will never forget the arrogance of the Dr. that leaned back in his chair, while trying to convince me I probably wasn't as sick as I was that, "I'm just an old country Dr., but I have healed quite a few people in my day. I will eventually figure out what's wrong with you."As he rejected the conclusions of his peers. In my experience that type of arrogance is the norm, humble Dr.'s are the exception. However I don't think many of them started out that way, some get into the medical profession strictly for the prestige & money, but I think many, most in fact get into the medical profession to help people. And then later become caught up in the system that exists.

So when a situation as dire as the conditions that prevail in Haiti arise, that original impetus to help people in need kicks in. They want to help. In the case of Haiti, many of them answered the call. They went to comparatively stone-age country, with stone-age conditions & attempted to help people in worse conditions & with less supplies and with less tools than you could find in most of our kitchens.
They were faced with some of the worst injuries that you could imagine and more often than not they were helpless. They were left to amputate limbs with box-cutters & hacksaws, with a host of people holding down a screaming, writhing patient that could not be anesthetized as there was nothing to do so with, then give them aspirin for the pain and no antibiotics to help them fight off the infections that come with such brutal procedures.

There were wonderful instances where they were able to do something incredible, but for the most part they were losing way more than they were helping, and the ones they were helping had a very good chance of succumbing to death later.
These Dr.'s were not trained to deal with the magnitude of failure they would face in such an extreme circumstance. All the platitudes they were taught, all the logic that usually consoled them at home, even logic that was actually irrefutable in this situation, like the lack of supplies, drugs, tools, sanitation etc... did not hold much comfort in the face of what they experienced. They lost many many more than they saved. And now back at home, the faces of those that they could not "heal" haunt them.

They were cast down from the lofty status of "gods among men" and faced with their humanity, they live here on earth. Many people do not have the means to avail themselves of the knowledge they have, even in this wealthy country, people die needlessly for lack of medical care.

I hope the faces of the dead that haunt these Dr.’s from Haiti, don't disappear with time. I hope those faces change those Dr.’s from preening Titans, to compassionate healers that look at our system of care and though it is regal compared to what Haiti has, realize that if people here cannot afford to utilize the wonderfully advanced medical tools, drugs, & knowledge we have here, they suffer just like the Haitians are. I hope they choose all out warfare to bring true change rather than a gorilla war to maintain what they have. I hope if they do so, all the people of our country win, not just the wealthy.