To talk of diseases is a sort of Arabian Nights' entertainment. William Osler, Bedside Aphorisms
Our textbooks and journals give us second- and third-hand descriptions of the disorders we see and treat. Rarely do they provide glimpses into the souls of those who suffer. We are privy to this in the seclusion of our offices, but are often too harried to sit and listen to the cris de coeur so many, given license, would impart.