Remembering - Canadian Dermatology Association

November 2014
Remembering
David Zloty, MD, FRCPC
Every year at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we stop to remember the many
Canadian lives that have been cut short by war. In those moments of solemn reflection, we think
about the sacrifice of those who’ve answered the call to arms and defended the values that define
our country.
There are more than 100,000 souls who’ve been lost standing on guard for what we stand for.
Thousands more continue to carry on that important duty today.
We won’t soon forget the events of recent weeks that have allowed us to bear witness to what it
means to serve. The evidence has pooled on Canadian soil, on the hallowed ground of the National
War Memorial that honours all who have fallen. That two soldiers were targeted because of the
uniform they wore is a stark reminder that sacrifice is no longer something that happens
somewhere else.
We must also remember that not all involved in times of war carry rifles. Some are armed only with
stethoscopes and save lives with scalpels, bandages and medication. Doctors are unsung heroes on
the battlefield, often working under the harshest of conditions. They serve alongside soldiers in
lands far from home and continue to care for those who return, only to battle more invisible
enemies.
It can also be easy to overlook the important role our dermatology peers play, until you consider
the ability of cutaneous disease to impact military operations in times of war as well as peace. A
military is only as healthy as its soldiers.
While in the throes of battlefield medicine, it was Canadian doctor John McRae who penned some
of the most poignant words about war. Written from the point of view of the dead, his poem, In
Flanders Field came to symbolize sacrifice, an idea that has now been driven home for Canadians
like never before. As the Last Post echoes today, the last word is theirs:
“To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.”
Editorial Board /
Conseil de rédaction
National editor/
Rédacteur en chef
Charles W. Lynde, MD
Markham, ON
Chief Executive Officer /
Chef de la direction
Chantal Courchesne
Ottawa, ON
Regional editors /
Rédacteurs régionaux
Robert Jackson, MD
Ottawa, ON
Paul Kuzel, MD
Edmonton, AB
Benjamin Barankin, MD
Toronto, ON
Ian Landells, MD
St. John’s, NL
G. Daniel Schachter, MD
Toronto, MD
Marc Bourcier, MD
Moncton, NB
Catherine McCuaig, MD
Montréal, QC
Victoria Taraska, MD
Winnipeg, MB
Nicole Hawkins Scoon, MD
Saskatoon, SK
Kathleen Moses, MD
Ottawa, ON
Catherine Zip, MD
Calgary, AB
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER / CHEF de la DIRECTION
425-1385 rue, Bank Street, Ottawa, ON K1H 8N4
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