a bit of fantastic.

I was recently made aware that Moore Library sends medical journals to aid doctors and nurses at work in Iraq. Recycling and helping the troops–definitely two awesome birds with one stone.

Here is an excerpt of the letter from Mark W. Burnett, M.D. from Camp Taji, Iraq:

The combination of the Hussein regime, pre-war sanctions and the current turmoil in Iraq has made it very difficult for physicians and dentists to stay even reasonably current on medical developments. When I have dropped off your donated books and journals I have been met with sheer amazement at how current the literature is–I wish that you all could be there to share these moments with me. I have found the medical professionals to be some of the most apolitical people I have met in Iraq–they really are role models for the society at large. I will never forget their courage as they often risk their lives just to hold meetings with coalition forces.

I love the simplicity of this program. No politics, no axes to grind, no hidden motives–just colleagues helping colleagues. I know that we all have many people asking for our help nowadays–I just appreciate the fact that you took the time to box up your books or journals and send them “over here.”

Medical and nursing books and journals are sent through a Global Village program to English-speaking clinicians. (Thanks to Pat Dawson at Moore Library for sending this information our way!)

Check out the article in Medscape for further information on these donations. (Since the website requires a password, I have included it below.)

Donations of Medical and Nursing Books and Journals Arrive in Iraq

Posted 06/26/2007

Anonymous Author

Editor’s Note:
This letter was received from a medical officer serving in Iraq, in response to donations he received after we posted this article on Medscape: The Power of an Idea: Help for Iraqi Medical Professionals. Donations are still being accepted. Contact dgifford@hot.rr.com for up-to-date information on what is needed and where to mail donations.

I just wanted to write a quick note to give those back home who donated the medical and nursing books some feedback on our recent hospital and clinic book distribution. Our “area of operations” involves the towns and cities just north of Baghdad. One of our local national hospitals was shut down by terrorists and the other was looted, so we have a ways to go — but certainly progress is being made.

I find it very rewarding to work with the doctors in the area — they are very apolitical and just want to do their jobs in safety. We have a complete mix of Sunni and Shi’a Arabs in our area and I can’t think of a doctor that I’ve met who wouldn’t care for someone from the “other” sect. They really do serve as role models for the rest of the country.

Needless to say, the doctors and nurses were absolutely thrilled with the donated books. Most helpful were the recent primary care texts and journals (pediatrics, internal medicine, OB/GYN, and family practice). I will send the recent journals and texts for the subspecialties (oncology, anesthesiology, etc) into Baghdad to one of our sister units for the hospitals there.

Although many of the doctors have some difficulty speaking English, they can read it without problem as they used English-language texts while in medical school. It was wonderful to watch them turn over the books in their hands — looking at them like they were made of gold! One doctor kept pointing at a journal from February of this year — he couldn’t believe that he had such a recent journal in his hands. To further encourage the doctors to work together, I purposely supplied the largest clinic with the largest number of journals to create the first “medical library” in the area since the war.

It really is disheartening to me to see the constant drone of negative stories that the popular press puts out on Iraq. I have been here for almost a year and have met many, many very good and decent people who have much more courage than I do. It was fun to open the boxes and find notes of encouragement from pediatricians at UCLA and internists in Nashville among others. Please share with them how much their donations of books and journals meant to not only the doctors here, but also those of us “on the ground,” trying to help create a better Iraq.