The Last Leaf Has Fallen

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, practiced and taught on the Greek island of Kos about 460 years BC. A descendant of the tree under which he taught still stands. Let us imagine that the tree symbolizes the profession of medicine. The roots-the ethical and scientific basis of medicine-are deteriorating, and the leaves-the physicians-are vanishing! Good doctors are currently forced to work in a bad system. They have lost control of their actions and destiny. This, in turn, is breaking the compassionate spirit of the strongest among them and is driving some doctors out of the profession they love. Dr. Vance Connelly, whose wife died recently, moves to a retirement community. He leaves each day at 5:00 AM for the internationally recognized Greystone University Hospital to teach medical students, house officers, and fellows. He writes for the remainder of his eight-hour workday. He formerly chaired the Department of Medicine, but continues to work despite his age of eighty-five. This book tracks the careers of two of his former house officers. One seems to be the only doctor left who fits the definition of a truly professional doctor. The other wanders far from his training and succumbs to greed. The book describes a behind-the-scenes view of certain aspects of the famous teaching hospital; a look at life in a retirement home; the lives of two very different doctors who trained with Dr. Vance Connelly; and, most importantly, the love affair between Vance and his wife Jennifer. St. Simons Island (January 16, 2005)