Leaving a Legacy : Lessons from the Writtings of Daniel Drake

Daniel Drake’s impact on the medical community has cemented a powerful legacy. Born in 1785, his research and writing helped to improve medical care, dramatically improving the wellbeing of many. As a founding organizer of the Medical College of Ohio, he has helped provide opportunities for medical education, research, and treatment that still affect lives today. In Leaving a Legacy, Phil Diller introduces readers to Drake’s transformative career. Diller presents Drake’s writings and provides a series of prompts, lasting insight into Drake’s his key formative experiences, his passions, his interests in building culture in community, his style as a writer, his uses of writing to shape conversations, his thoughts on education and being an educator, and lastly his perceptions of the scope and work of a master physician. These humanistic qualities allow medical professionals to make universal and civic contributions within their community. Through this presentation of Drake’s legacy, Diller helps readers to envision and build legacies of their own.

Philip M. Diller?is senior associate dean for educational affairs at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and professor in family and community medicine.