that were the question I wanted answered. A little annoyed, I nodded, humoring the old man. “Well then… .”
He chuckled, removed a pair of reading glasses from his vest pocket, and opened the book. He took much longer to find the information he wanted to share than I would have expected from someone who clearly had his own agenda. He began, “What do you know about Greek mythology?”
“Not much, but I’m listening.” That is what I chose to say rather than, Are you kidding me?
He looked at me over his glasses and grinned. “Megan, I need you to have an open mind. This is going to be harder for you than for all the others.”
“Why?”
“We’ll get to that.” He waved his hand around as if dismissing a two-year-old and settled on a page in his book.
“Have you ever heard of Asclepius the god of cleanliness, medicine, and healing?” He looked up from his book.
I shook my head no.
“Asclepius was a god from Greek mythology.” He looked up to gauge my response. I tried to not respond at all. He smiled and continued. “Asclepius was the son of Apollo and Coronis. Coronis had been unfaithful to Apollo. As punishment she was killed, but the unborn child, Asclepius, was cut out of her womb by Apollo. Apollo named him after asklepios , the Greek word for ‘to cut open’ which was later changed to Asclepius. Since Coronis may or may not have been unfaithful, Asclepius may not have been Apollo’s son. Apollo then took the baby to the centaur Chiron, who raised Asclepius and instructed him in medicine.
“So, Apollo was known in part for his medical abilities, and now so was his son. Asclepius married and had six daughters and three sons.” He paused for a second as if trying to find his next words. “Many of his daughters were healers.” He hesitated. “One of the daughters was like us, the first that we know of. She passed her genes down, and after generations in the ancestral line came Hippocrates. He was the most famous of our kind. Do you know who that is?”
“Of course I do, father of medicine, Hippocratic oath.” I was actually starting to get interested. Being in the profession, I had always been fascinated by the history of medicine, but I had never gone this far back. “Is everyone… like us… in medicine?”
“Yes.” Max stated simply.
I turned toward Aaron who replied, “Yes, I’m an anesthesiologist.”
I smirked, “So is this where the God complex with you doctors comes from?” I’d always wanted to say that to a doctor, and now that the moment seemed appropriate I was giddy with my joke.
Max laughed a boisterous laugh, “Well it’s better than moron, which is what you nurses usually call us behind our backs.”
I nodded, “Touché.” We all had a good laugh, then I continued, “Why are we all in medicine?”
“That’s unclear. Asclepius was the supposed god of medicine and healing, and Hippocrates was the father of medicine. There is something in us that pulls us, as if a genetic drive toward medicine.”
I thought about this. Why medicine? Why me, a woman? My head was spinning with information and more questions. I looked over and Max and Aaron were speaking together over the book. “Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “Are you telling me that we are descendants from mythological beings? You guys realize how crazy that sounds, don’t you? Mythology is just that… myth.”
Max looked up from his book and quizzically grinned, “Is it?”
This response confused me. What seemed rational just seconds ago now felt like a difficult concept. “Isn’t it?” I asked.
Raising his eyebrows and looking amused, “Some could say the Bible is fiction. Is it? Maybe, maybe not. The Bible is a compilation of stories of ordinary and extraordinary events recorded by man. Right?”
Although I grew up in the Catholic church, I had always grappled with the validity of some of the stories in the Bible. I waited for him to finish.
He sat back in his chair with a confident
He chuckled, removed a pair of reading glasses from his vest pocket, and opened the book. He took much longer to find the information he wanted to share than I would have expected from someone who clearly had his own agenda. He began, “What do you know about Greek mythology?”
“Not much, but I’m listening.” That is what I chose to say rather than, Are you kidding me?
He looked at me over his glasses and grinned. “Megan, I need you to have an open mind. This is going to be harder for you than for all the others.”
“Why?”
“We’ll get to that.” He waved his hand around as if dismissing a two-year-old and settled on a page in his book.
“Have you ever heard of Asclepius the god of cleanliness, medicine, and healing?” He looked up from his book.
I shook my head no.
“Asclepius was a god from Greek mythology.” He looked up to gauge my response. I tried to not respond at all. He smiled and continued. “Asclepius was the son of Apollo and Coronis. Coronis had been unfaithful to Apollo. As punishment she was killed, but the unborn child, Asclepius, was cut out of her womb by Apollo. Apollo named him after asklepios , the Greek word for ‘to cut open’ which was later changed to Asclepius. Since Coronis may or may not have been unfaithful, Asclepius may not have been Apollo’s son. Apollo then took the baby to the centaur Chiron, who raised Asclepius and instructed him in medicine.
“So, Apollo was known in part for his medical abilities, and now so was his son. Asclepius married and had six daughters and three sons.” He paused for a second as if trying to find his next words. “Many of his daughters were healers.” He hesitated. “One of the daughters was like us, the first that we know of. She passed her genes down, and after generations in the ancestral line came Hippocrates. He was the most famous of our kind. Do you know who that is?”
“Of course I do, father of medicine, Hippocratic oath.” I was actually starting to get interested. Being in the profession, I had always been fascinated by the history of medicine, but I had never gone this far back. “Is everyone… like us… in medicine?”
“Yes.” Max stated simply.
I turned toward Aaron who replied, “Yes, I’m an anesthesiologist.”
I smirked, “So is this where the God complex with you doctors comes from?” I’d always wanted to say that to a doctor, and now that the moment seemed appropriate I was giddy with my joke.
Max laughed a boisterous laugh, “Well it’s better than moron, which is what you nurses usually call us behind our backs.”
I nodded, “Touché.” We all had a good laugh, then I continued, “Why are we all in medicine?”
“That’s unclear. Asclepius was the supposed god of medicine and healing, and Hippocrates was the father of medicine. There is something in us that pulls us, as if a genetic drive toward medicine.”
I thought about this. Why medicine? Why me, a woman? My head was spinning with information and more questions. I looked over and Max and Aaron were speaking together over the book. “Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “Are you telling me that we are descendants from mythological beings? You guys realize how crazy that sounds, don’t you? Mythology is just that… myth.”
Max looked up from his book and quizzically grinned, “Is it?”
This response confused me. What seemed rational just seconds ago now felt like a difficult concept. “Isn’t it?” I asked.
Raising his eyebrows and looking amused, “Some could say the Bible is fiction. Is it? Maybe, maybe not. The Bible is a compilation of stories of ordinary and extraordinary events recorded by man. Right?”
Although I grew up in the Catholic church, I had always grappled with the validity of some of the stories in the Bible. I waited for him to finish.
He sat back in his chair with a confident
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