Harrison

Receive the new edition of Harrison’s Principle of Internal Medicine just now (I ordered it on-line some weeks ago). Many of my friends know that I have an obsession with this bible.

I first met Harrison as a first year medical student – it lied in a corner of the university bookstore as a bargain item. I knew nothing about the background of this giant, but was impressed by its huge size (though not as much as it is now), and it was sold at merely HK$10. Without a second word, I – as people usually say – put my money on it.

(There was another book which I bought at the same time – also as a bargain; it was Washington Manual. I always wonder if I could be half as sharp when it comes to choosing stock.)

There is always a worry that textbook of medicine would become a dinosaur – because of the rapid advance in clinical science, a textbook becomes outdated by the time it is published. I hold the faith that there must be pearls hiding under the sea of information that can stand time.

Nice to see you again, my friend.