Since I have my pen in hand, I hope that you will indulge me if I make a couple of personal remarks in response to our Editor-in-Chief's kind words about me.
It is true that Barry and I trained together but he is senior to me by a year or two. And, as those of us who have worked with and were trained by him can attest, he is no slouch himself! Physician, teacher, administrator and editor--each role acted out with his usual calm and panache. But perhaps the highest compliment that I can pay the good doctor is to recount a short anecdote. When I was an intern, and Barry a medical resident, I brought my father--who was suffering from chest pain--into the ER of Toronto's Mt. Sinai Hospital, where Barry and I were both in training. As my mother and I waited anxiously in the anteroom for word of his fate, I was scared to death that my dad would die.
To my great relief and good fortune, who should rush past but Dr. Goldlist, who had been called in by the ER staff to have a look at my father. As Dr. Goldlist walked through the ER doors on his way to examine my father, I turned to my mother and said, "Don't worry, Mom, one of the hospital's best doctors is going to be taking care of Dad. We've got nothing to worry about."
And so it was. Almost 30 years later--there Barry, it's out--my father is still hale and hearty.
By coincidence, another important influence on my professional life and career choice is also well represented in this issue. The prolific and dynamic Dr. Michael Gordon, Medical Director of the world-renowned Baycrest Hospital, was a couple of years senior to both Barry and me and, as Barry points out, in his role as chief medical resident at Mt. Sinai, he had a powerful effect on all of us. It would be safe to say that no one had more influence on my decision to enter the field than did Michael, and all of us continue to enjoy his special blend of qualities.
I encourage the readers to read Dr. Gordon's articles and the rest of the informative articles in this special issue of Geriatrics & Aging. Thanks again to the editors for allowing me to blather on and, above all, for the opportunity to contribute to this important issue.
A. Mark Clarfield
