PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) written while at Public Citizen Health Research Group
The worst, as many docs agree,
Is that disease called PID;
Each year three-quarter million strong,
New victims to their treatments throng.
They crowd the clinic waiting rooms
With tender tummies shrieking doom.
From Santa Cruz way up to Bangor,
With ne’er a thought of Margaret Sanger,
They threw their diaphragms away,
And lived to sore regret that day.
Now JAMA cheers the condom home,
And be it ever-so-humble: foam.
If rubber is your thing, rejoice!
It is the birth control of choice!
Stop babies, and be ever free,
Of nasty, yukky PID!
© Joan D. Levin 1982
Written when I was at HRG and read Kelaghan et al, “Barrier-Method Contraceptives and Pelvic Inflammatory Disase,” 248 JAMA 184, 1982.
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Public Health History -- written while at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.
Even now we take our lumps,
Shutting down those Broad Street pumps,
Listen up, your chimney sweepers,
When it’s cancer, finder’s keepers!
But when the Health Inspector knocks,
The public says “Don’t gore my ox!”
We can count ‘em, slice ‘em, dice ‘em.
Educate ‘em, good-advice em!
But mind you well the public balks,
And hands in pockets, money talks.
© Joan D. Levin 1988
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Salmon stands for Public Health,
But every gal and fella,
Who earned a hood last night must think:
"Could this be Salmonella?"
That same infectious dish that graced,
Our Epi I lab table,
Is brought to mind by salmon hood,
How else translate this label?
Somewhere the wag who dreamed this up,
Mus chuckle at the pun,
And I do too, It's always best,
To end a job with fun!
So thank you for a super time,
I loved the convocation,
Keep hot things hot and cold things cold,
Lukewarm won't heal a nation!
Joan
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