There is something deeply dissatisfying about going to the doctor and leaving empty-handed -- no prescription, no pills. We often believe that any bodily illness will disappear once we ingest the appropriate pill. Aspirin cures headaches, caffeine wakes us up, and going to the doctor when we're sick is the magic ticket for an antibiotic that will quickly restore our health. Dr. Rafael Campo, however, is a physician who attempts to transcend the separation of the mind and body entrenched in our biomedical system, and he does, perhaps surprisingly, by writing poetry. A Harvard Medical School trained physician, Campo's aim is to heal the body, but he also branches away from classical medicine by using poetry to heal the soul. To Campo, poetry "reinterprets [illness] as the beginning point to healing."
