Ennui

By Dr. Jim Ferguson The French have a term for feeling listless, weary or dissatisfied. Americans might say they have the blahs or the doldrums. Since English is an amalgam of many languages and cultures, the French word ennui is now part of our English lexicon. I’m a...

The law

 By Dr. Jim Ferguson Medical decisions are relatively straightforward because they emerge from facts and reason rather than emotion. We all have emotional and rational aspects of our personality, but errors often result when important decisions are driven by...

Hacking

By Dr. Jim Ferguson The flu continues to rage, and the spittle keeps flying. You may find this a  disgusting statement, but I assure you it is a valid observation. Years ago I watched two friends talking in front of a window as the morning sun streamed in. Just as...

Rhetoric

By Dr. Jim Ferguson Do you believe or trust what you hear these days? Admittedly, I have become a skeptic about climate issues and politics. And I no longer trust the media who, like Chicken Little, preach everyday that the sky is falling – at least since Trump...

Antithesis

By Dr. Jim Ferguson By the time you read this, it will be February. This year Groundhog Day will be on Friday February 2nd. Legend holds that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, we’ll have six more weeks of winter. Hopefully, it’ll be cloudy over Punxsutawney,...

Salt of the Earth

By Dr. Jim Ferguson Lately, I’ve become somewhat of a bird watcher. Perhaps this is because I’ve discovered it to be a contemplative exercise. I’ve always been an observer of nature, probably for the same reason I’m an internist. Details are important in internal...