By: James A. Wilson, MD
Proust questionnaire: Jim Wilson, MD
Issue: BCMJ,
vol. 55, No. 1, January February 2013,
Page 62 Proust for Physicians
Dr Wilson works in occupational medicine and is the senior medical director of Ultima Medical Services at the Vancouver airport. He and his wife divide their personal time between Richmond and their second home on Salt Spring Island. Dr Wilson served as editor of the BCMJ from 1993 until 2008.
What profession might you have pursued, if not for medicine?
Particle physics.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Consistently being able to land a Tom Thumb fly within 3 inches of the front end of a surfacing Kamloops trout from 60 yards away, under overhanging Cedar boughs, on a windy day.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
The one time I managed to accomplish the above.
Who are your heroes?
The uncomplaining mothers of severely challenged children.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Inculcate, bandwidth, eco, e-whatever, whatever… and “Do you have another bottle of that red?”
What is your favorite activity?
Discussing the potential impact of quantum computing.
On what occasion do you lie?
When answering questions like the one directly above—the truthful answer should have been reading trashy novels.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sharing a bottle of ridiculously expensive BC Bordeaux blend with my wife of 46 years while devouring one of her exquisitely created caveman meals.
What is your greatest fear?
String theory will turn out to be totally wrong.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Run-on sentences.
What characteristic do your favorite patients share?
Self-deprecation combined with a morbid sense of humor.
Which living physician do you most admire?
Dr Pat Rebeck.
Where would you most like to practise?
Anywhere that doesn’t have four times as many health bureaucrats as practising doctors.
What technological medical advance do you most anticipate?
Quantum computing, which will completely eliminate the need to watch the little hourglass spin around whilst waiting for an answer to a question—a good clinician 50 years ago could have found answers in about the same amount of time.
Who are your favorite writers?
Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, Tom Robbins, Salman Rushdie, and Ewart Woolley.
What is your greatest regret?
Not to have spent more time with my father.
How would you like to die?
Slowly, preferably over 20 or more years and with no nasty symptoms to interfere with the experience.
What is your motto?
Illegitimi non carborundum est.
I read this and enjoyed it so very much even though we have never met in person I was at your home in Richmond for lunch with Sharon prior to you opening the gallery on Salt Spring.
Sharon and I are shirttail relatives on the Gibson side, her grandparents Sue Andrews Gibson (came to Canada from Ireland with my grandmother Ria Gibson) and William was my grandmother's older brother. I can't locate any current number for Sharon and have a lot of information for her. I hope this will reach her somehow. Doreen 604-824-1223