Hemoptysis. Pregnant. A mystery. Negative workup, about to go home Until a code. Blood everywhere–walls, floor, us. Slippery then sticky chaos. We couldn’t ventilate her. Aspirated blood clots. Pupils fixed. We stopped, defeated. The light went out.
In the autopsy suite, glistening organs weighed and measured. No conclusions. A fetus, perfect at twelve weeks.
Perfect Storm, Literature by Elizabeth Howell, MD, MS
Elizabeth Howell, MD, MS
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Elizabeth thought she would be an English major in college and become a writer--but science, a master’s degree, and medical school beckoned. After an internship in pediatrics, she moved to psychiatry and never looked back. It was a long journey to rediscover her original intention to be a healer, including for herself. She has been faculty at UUSOM since 2005.
