Physicians and dentists who treat our patients understand the draw. They share a high level of dedication and devotion and know the need for adequate preparation.
I love old movies. Among my fondest memories was going to the movies with my father. In reality it was more like he took me to the movies, made sure I had a good seat and popcorn and then he slipped out to go to work. It was Saturday and, as the owner of a retail store, he worked seven days a week. But I still relate to Saturdays as going to the movies with my father.
One of my favorite parts of the movies was seeing the logos of the movie studios at the start of the movies. They were of high impact, dramatic, and seemingly announced you were lucky to be where you were. I particularly remember the art deco skyscraper of 20th Century Fox; it was a monolith and solid. The logo for Columbia pictures used a female Roman soldier holding a shield in her left hand and a stick of wheat in her right hand. Paramount Pictures used a mountain, known as “Mount Majestic,” featuring 24 stars forming the semi-circular constellation around the peak, representing the 24 stars under contract. Universal had it going with an image of the world and a propeller plane circling the globe. The logos took up the entire screen and their individual fanfare musical score set the stage.But they all paled in comparison to the MGM Studio’s opening.
The MGM logo featured a lion; commanding, fierce, formidable. He was more frightening than many of the monsters that were featured in the film following his opening roar. The lion (Slats was the name of the first lion used in 1917) was in a circle surrounded by the phrase, “Ars Gratia Artis” (“Art for Art’s Sake”). The lion was selected by MGM mogul Howard Dietz as a tribute to his alma mater, Columbia University, whose athletic team’s nickname is The Lion. He further added that Columbia’s fight song, “Roar, Lion, Roar,” inspired him to make the lion roar. There have been seven lions with Leo the current one. In addition to being the “trade mark” of MGM several of the lions appeared in over a hundred films, including the Tarzan series.
Two different versions of the lion logo were used; an “extended” version, with the lion roaring three times (used from 1957 to 1960); and the “standard” version, with the lion roaring twice (used since 1960).
The original lion was silent and he simply looked around during the display of the logo. Jackie (1928 to 1956) was the first lion to “roar.” MGM built a sound stage around his cage to make the recording. I remember thinking that the roar was the most blood curdling sound I could imagine. The thought of encountering anything that could produce that sound was enough to make me grab the armrests of my movie seat. I never disputed their right to be called, “The king of the jungle.”
What is particularly amazing is that the typical lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day. Although adult lions have no natural predators, evidence suggests that the majority die violently from humans or other lions.
It was no surprise when it was reported that an American dentist had hunted and killed Cecil, a 13-year-old male Southwest African lion who primarily lived in the Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. With his novel black mane, Cecil was a major attraction at the park. The news reported that the dentist wounded him with an arrow from a crossbow. He was then tracked for 40 hours and was killed with a rifle shot. The killing drew international media attention and sparked outrage among animal conservationists, politicians and celebrities, as well as a strong negative internet response against the dentist, Walter Palmer. It was reported that Palmer was forced to close his dental practice.
One of the consequences following the death of a male lion is that the lion who replaces the head of the pride often kills any existing young cubs, a form of infanticide. Cecil had six cubs and conservationists fear for their well-being.
In addition to the news about the “hunter dentist,” there was another report about another American doctor (gynecologist Dr. Jan Seski) who killed another lion with a bow and arrow. An editorial by John Crisp reveals the reality of hunting as a bona fide “sport”: “It’s been a long time since big-game hunting was much of a fair contest between man and beast. These days, dangerous prey are hopelessly outgunned…no one guides hunters into the African bush without a powerful backup arsenal of high-impact armaments.” What kind of sport is it when only one team knows the game has begun?
I find it of particular interest that there are a number of physicians and dentists who are attracted to hunting big game. I can certainly understand the draw; the needed skills, the dedication, devotion and preparation. The bragging rights when they return home with the trophy. Sharing stories in the OR locker room about how they set their sights on demonstrating their prowess and how their diligence and fortitude accomplished what few other dentists and physicians could; or would even attempt. How having keen senses, patience and resolve coupled with the right ammunition and aim enabled them to take one of Africa’s “big five” (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo).
Here’s a thought for those dentists and physicians who yearn for the hunting experience described by Hemingway, “When you have shot one bird flying you have shot all birds flying. They are all different and they fly in different ways but the sensation is the same and the last one is as good as the first.”
For those who want to feel what doctors Seski and Palmer felt, but don’t want to shell out $50,000 for the “permit,” may I suggest treating patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities? When you think about the comparison, it’s the ultimate “sport.” Physicians and dentists who treat our patients understand the draw. They hone the needed skills. They share a high level of dedication and devotion and know the need for adequate preparation. they can brag (though most don’t) about accomplishing what few other clinicians do (or would even attempt). They know they need keen senses (to sense what others can’t). They need to be patient (desensitization requires patience) and have the requisite resolve. They enter the exam room or approach the dental chair with the right ammunition (“Knowledge is power”) and control their breathing as they take aim (aim is being at the crosshairs of “empathy” and “outcomes.”).
Clinicians who track patients with special needs have an opportunity to “take” one of the field’s “big five” (Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, Fragile X, intellectual disability) and “take them” to a place for the first time—a place of competent, collaborative, comprehensive and compassionate care, thus providing a trophy for both the
“hunter” and the “hunted.”
In the words of the old African proverb, “Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”•
ANCORA IMPARO
In his 87th year, the artist Michelangelo (1475 -1564) is believed to have said “Ancora imparo” (I am still learning). Hence, the name for my monthly observations and comments.
— Rick Rader, MD, Editor-in-Chief, EP Magazine Director, Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center Orange Grove Center, Chattanooga, TN
