Friday, July 26, 2024
I was a resident in neurology at UCSF from 1993 to 1997. Dr. Layzer was the best clinician I ever worked with, without question. I was terrified in his presence, not because he ever was critical of me, or sharp-tongued, or anything but a complete gentleman. But he was so obviously a master of his craft that I desperately did not want to disappoint him by making a stupid mistake. He was always gentle, efficient, and kind with patients and with trainees alike. Even though it was at least 10 years out of date, his book was a touchstone for me, and I continually returned to it to refresh my knowledge of the diseases I was trying to understand. It reflected his thinking: incisive, practical, and unfailingly correct.
As my career evolved, my interests moved me away from clinical medicine towards laboratory research. Even then, Dr. Layzer was an inspiration. He told me once that he had abandoned his own laboratory work because at the end of the day he found himself thinking of his experiments rather than poetry, which was what he preferred to ponder in those moments. Because, in my off hours, I loved imagining the biological and experimental possibilities of basic science, I knew I was on the right track!
As clinical medicine changes, the role of giants such as Dr. Layzer, who combine deep knowledge with careful observation, experience, and empathy, will be diminished simply because they are becoming extinct. I will always treasure my opportunities to have learned from him, his liberal intellect a continuing inspiration for me.
