Richard Selzer, Md, Tells Of Standing Before A ...

Richard Selzer, MD, tells of standing before a hospital bed where a young woman is recovering from surgery. Her mouth is twisted. A facial nerve connected to her mouth muscles had been severed, and her deformity would be permanent. To remove a tumor in her cheek, the nerve had to be cut. Her husband, also in the post-op room, stands on the opposite side of the bed. The young wife asks, “Will my mouth always be like this?” The reluctant answer is yes. She nods silently. But her husband smiles. “I like it” he says, “It’s kind of cute.” He then bends down to kiss her crooked mouth, twisting his own lips to accommodate hers, to show her that their kiss still works. And the doctor remains silent, in awe, in the presence of this divine love (Mortal Lessons).