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March 13, 2007

Cadbury

By far the most challenging aspect of this blog thus far has been keeping my own personal pursuits, character, and interest relatively separate from the tenor of the posts and the blog itself.  While subjectivity is very important to me, such that I recognize that my own personal voice is absolutely expressed by and in the posts I author, I have nevertheless endeavored to make this as much a blog about the medical humanities as possible (as opposed to more of a live journal type format).  Privacy considerations for my peers and colleagues contributed to this approach.

But, as ever, the personal and the public spheres remain so deeply enmeshed.  This is arguably something most humanists, at least those who perceive(d) the importance of practices and intersubjectivity, would likely find none too controversial. 

Yesterday I arrived home to find our beloved middle dog Cadbury, aged 7 years, dead in the kennel he shares with his older brother Basil the Maltese (11).  Cadbury was diagnosed with a lethal cancer, a hemangiosarcoma (blood vessel cancer) over two months ago.  This cancer is aggressive, invasive, and incurable.  Most dogs die from hemangiosarcoma within 3 months of diagnosis.

Death, illness, some of the subjects that merit discourse on this blog, are thus enmeshed in my personal life.  In any case, without meaning to intellectualize Cadbury's death, I did remark to my wife today how much thinking about animals informs our discussions of humans, health, and illness.  Below the fold is a picture of Cadbury. 

Et via vix tandem voci laxata dolore est.

"And at length and with difficulty is a passage opened by grief for words." 

--Aeneid, xi. 151

(as quoted in Montaigne, Of sorrow, Charles Cotton trans.)

UPDATE:  More discussion here (not related specifically to Cadbury!)

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Comments

Daniel, The picture of Cadbury is adorable and I'm sending long distance (((hugs))) to you for your loss. Best, Stacey Tovino

I'm so sorry for your loss. My dog has hemangiosarcoma too, so I know what you're going through. My sympathy goes out to you.

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