How

Shortly after the talk on orphan diseases, we held the membership examination in my hospital.

My friend TL was responsible for the organization and everything was absolutely smooth. While we had a brief moment of casual chat during the break, however, the star neurologist caught my arm and asked, “Szeto, there’s something I wish to ask for your opinion – I know you are never short of opinion.”

“What’s that?” I asked; my mind was pondering about his meaningful remark.

“I read your recent blogs. I just want to ask, in your opinion, how could the faculty determine the performance of a clinical academic staff – especially in the situation when we have to compare a clinical professor to a basic scientist?” he said.

It seems that TL is another friend of mine who finds my fancy story on the big toe specialist disturbing.

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I shall not tell you my response to TL’s question – or whether I made any meaningful response at all. To my surprise, I heard shortly afterwards a very good answer from my mentor.

I mean the man who used to have a moustache.