After years of denial and disgust, Drs. George, Uri, and Newton unanimously pledged to leave their joyless specialty medical practices behind and journey into the jungle in search of renewed purpose in medicine. Dr. George knew there had to be more to medicine than hurried visits and decreasing reimbursement for procedures, but he couldn’t bear to leave his endoscope behind. He secretly packed it into his backpack in case of emergency. Dr. Uri understood Dr. George’s sentiments wholeheartedly, longing to find joy again in medicine. Despite wanting to get far away, he likewise couldn’t leave his cystoscope behind and tucked it into his own backpack while no one was watching. Dr. Newton had been the first to suggest leaving medicine for the jungle excursion, but when it came time to pack, he couldn’t leave behind his micro-portable EEG machine (brain wave instrument to detect seizure activity). Though it meant leaving behind an extra water bottle, he tucked it under his snack bars and headed for the jungle with his fellow physician-pilgrims.
The three set out with vigor and hope, following their local guide into the darkness from which they hoped to emerge with ‘new light.’ All was exhilarating until, breaking through a stand of small trees, an elephant came crashing into their clearing and fell moaning at their feet. As they watched, the suffering animal not only vomited on their boots (as you might imagine, a stinky experience no one could forget), but also urinated on their campfire, beginning to writhe uncontrollably across their campsite. Each felt a swell of hope rise in their chest, thinking to themselves, “Is this my chance to find meaning in medicine? Has this animal been sent to ME for healing?”
Dr. George was the first to cautiously approach the ailing elephant, testing the beast’s willingness to have his abdomen pressed. Dr. George pressed his ear against the belly and in excitedly hushed tones declared that this elephant needed an EGD to investigate the cause of the vomiting. He began digging through his backpack eagerly.
Dr. Uri respected Dr. George greatly, for Dr. George had been a mentor of sorts in medical school, but he knew that his own chance at renewed purpose must not slip away. His eye had noted the unusual color of the urine and his nose had whiffed the strong odor it gave off. Something had triggered the elephant’s incontinence, and a cystoscope exam was the best hope he had to offer. Given the mystical gravity of the encounter, the answer must lie within the scope’s reach. He also began pulling out his smuggled instruments.
While Dr. George and Dr. Uri were looking through their packs, preparing to scope the suffering beast, Dr. Newton’s clinical acumen pierced through the diagnostic haze, and he began attaching the EEG leads to the animal’s skull. A seizure disorder, he was sure, must be at the heart of this suffering.
Meanwhile, their guide Bob, after fruitlessly encouraging the three to step back and follow the elephant’s trail, gave up. Abandoning the to their delirium of medical pride, Bob trudged on up the path.
He returned just as Dr. George and Dr.Uri were cajoling the animal into accepting their scopes into the appropriate orifices. At first all three doctors ignored Bob’s calm, “Excuse me?” However, after countless attempts by each to extract cooperation from the stuporous animal, they fell back in utter frustration. Simultaneously, they declared, “This elephant is no different than our human patients. Obviously sick but just unwilling to accept our therapies. It’s hopeless. This elephant doesn’t want to get better!”
When their wailing had ended, Bob quietly assured them that he could explain everything if only they would follow him to the source of the animal’s agony. Each initially put up a weak fight, claiming that the problem was right in front of their eyes, but they soon gave in and followed Bob. Bob led them up the path and into a small clearing where a small hut stood next to a large clay container filled with an overpowering odor. They noticed the elephant footprints under their feet as Bob explained what the eyewitness from the hut had told him. The elephant had discovered the pot full of fermenting fruit, from which it had imbibed most heartily. The hut’s owner had come outside, summoned by the slurping noises, and chased off the drunk elephant. Apparently, the poor elephant couldn’t handle the fruit punch and had simply drunk himself into a stupor, collapsing before the eager trio.
Sheepishly, Dr. George spoke for the group, bemoaning at any hope of finding an answer for his medical career. This epiphany had left them with a hangover of despair. Immediately Bob encouraged them to open their eyes, wipe away their blindness, and realize what God had revealed to them. Each laughed at such a suggestion, but they at least listened for the punch-line. Bob explained that medicine calls its practitioners to travel up the path that led to the patient’s suffering, pushing past the trees and brush that might stand in the way of the root cause. Rather than seeing a patient with symptoms and rushing to a treatment, the wise and humble doctor will walk up the path in search of the numerous patient factors and circumstances surrounding a diagnosis. Only then could he care for the patient rather than the patient’s symptoms. The trio stared at one another in stunned silence. A renewed vision was being birthed, a new light, and all thanks to a drunken elephant.
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Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
Colson Potter writes copious fiction and nonfiction, including a weekly Proverbs post and his blog at Creational Story.
