This discussion session of Literature& Medicine will feature John Murray”s A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies. Each of the eight stories in this collection places readers at the treacherous intersection where chaos meets order. In "The Hill Station," a young microbiologist gains a fuller understanding of death, disease, and her own life when she witnesses the ravaged lives and despairing faces of those for whom cholera is more than germs swimming under a microscope. Literature and Medicine is a series of reading/discussion programs that offers opportunities for health care professionals to reflect on the larger mission of medicine. Illinois’ participation in the expansion of this Maine Humanities Council program is supported by a grant from the NEH. Developed by the Maine Humanities Council, this program brings the power of the humanities to the workplace, in this case the modern hospital, engaging health care professionals with humanistic perspectives and insights that help them do their work better. Based on participants’ experiences in the Maine program, we believe Lit & Med helps to improve communications between patient and caregiver and between hospital staff.

This discussion session is limited to Kishwaukee Health System employees.