The days are getting shorter and the weather is becoming crisper. The World Series implies that baseball season is winding down. Football in all of its forms is in full swing. Somewhere in the midst of all this is the reminder that holidays are not too far away. We think of Halloween and Christmas and, oh yes, somewhere in there is Thanksgiving.

  What people believe is astounding! If you ever watch the man on the street interviews done by Jay Leno on NBC’s Tonight Show, you can’t help but wonder where he finds people with such limited knowledge. A recent publication is even more telling.

    Words—so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

  Every day we use a multitude of words to express ourselves. The words we choose help define who we are, our goals, and our ideals. If you use erudite words, people will think you are intelligent. If you choose to use profane words, people will have an entirely different connotation about you—perhaps a negative one. If you use slang and colloquial

  I am sure everyone is familiar with the above saying. Parents, coaches, educators, and employers have preached it to us so much that we are tired of hearing it. I think everyone would agree that to improve at any task, one must do it over and over. Unfortunately, repetition to learn, improve, and even maintain skills is a life-long endeavor. There is a story of the famed cellist, Pablo Casals, when at age 95, was asked by a young reporter, “Mr. Casals, you are 95 and the greatest cellist who ever lived. Why do you still practice 6 hours a day?” Mr. Casals answered, “Because I

  When is a spirit of cooperation needed most? I would suggest it is when we are dealing with and helping others. In any family, organization, or group, harmony and success are dependent on individuals and groups cooperating. We have discovered that the cooperation of a multi-specialty team, groups with different philosophies and skills, can improve the treatment outcomes for patients with chronic wounds. I think all would agree that everything works better when there is a spirit of cooperation. Unfortunately, not all in wound care apparently share this philosophy.

     Have you grown tired of treating someone and given up on him or her? Have you ever decided that treating a certain patient’s wound is just too much trouble? Recently, Dr. Tania Phillips and Dr. George Cullen wrote an article1 that is both enlightening and disturbing and should be required reading for all wound care clinicians. The article addresses the attitudes and experiences of clinicians who treat venous ulcers in the United States, Great Britain, and Germany. The researchers discovered that frustration was the general attitude among clinicians treating venous ulcers.

     Ever since man discovered that fire would push away the darkness, light has played a considerable role in our lives. One good thing about the electric light is that, for the most part, we can still control it. The ability to turn the light on and off whenever we desire is great, but there are times when the light cannot and should not be turned out. This is especially true in medicine. My father and mentor, who will celebrate his 86th birthday this month, taught me this and many other valuable lessons. Taking a bit of editorial license, I want to share some of these lessons

To see what is right and not do it is a lack of courage.
      – Confucius

     Providing the best evidence-based wound care is the goal of all who care for patients with wounds. We try to choose the best treatment for the patient based on the patient’s condition and circumstances. Recently, I have discovered that there are some in wound care who choose treatments based on how much they receive in payment. If there is a decision among therapies, the one with the most reimbursement

     Worldwide disasters have not been in short supply in the past few years, but none has grabbed our attention more than the recent earthquake in Haiti. As you know from the news reports, the entire country has been devastated. Many people were killed in the initial event and many others have perished in the aftermath. Lack of food, water, and other basic needs is pervasive. Countries from around the world have mobilized to provide what help they can, but even with the help of the world, many are still without the basic necessities and are unable to get basic medical care for

Dear Readers,

     A new year, a new decade—where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were fretting over a potential meltdown at 12:01 am on January 1, 2000.

     As we were driving home on New Year’s Day, my wife asked a startling question, “What have we accomplished in the past decade?” Like most, I go from day to day and think what’s happened is over with, so why dwell on it? The only time I think about the past is when someone requests an updated CV, but this time with a 12-hour drive in front of us, there was no escaping the qu