When Passion for Poetry and Literature leads you to Pathology

How many times does it happen that two verses of poetry remind us of double-helical DNA? Purines and pyrimidines with their perfect composition and chemical structure, complementing each other while laying the foundation of a cell. It is the intense curiosity in me to find the “common grounds” between science and literature that paves the path to choose pathology as my career. My earliest memory of my childhood reminds me of being fascinated with reading and reciting prose, completely immersed in the magic of literature. My passion for poetry and literature inculcates in me the habit of keen observation and introspection. It does not only serve the purpose to feed the soul but also to the mind. 

Creative writing is not only a leisure time activity, but it also builds the foundation to understand the patterns and layers of the human personality and trait.  It could be the reason that I didn’t find it difficult to memorize the different layers of mucosa and patterns in my histology class because my mind is already hard-wired in these details. The different shades of a character’s personality and, how behavior changes  in different environments, under different stressors, temperature settings. These similarities strengthen my interest in pathology. I am often gripped by the fact that pathology explains the basis of all the diseases going on in the body and literature depicts the ailments of heart and soul. Literature challenges us emotionally and intellectually to pay attention to minute details by using our intuition and instincts. Pathologists set the “stage” of the microscope, choose the right lens to observe the patterns, minute details. They pay attention to every detail to know the crux of the story, they try hard not to miss any character, pattern to know exactly what is going on behind the curtains.

Javaria Mushtaq

Javaria Mushtaq is an aspiring pathologist who loves to share her passion for pathology with the world. she has graduated from medical school in Pakistan. Currently, she is doing a pathology observership at University of Arizona. she is avidly learning about different aspects of pathological diseases. In her leisure time, she enjoys to cook, read and write short fiction stories.
Twitter: @JMWarraich