In my youth  once  when I had a really exquisite toothache  I suddenly realized that my tooth had temporarily become the centre of the universe  that its outcries were more important than anything else  and that I would do absolutely anything to placate it. And as one gets older and starts worrying about cancer  one becomes more and more conscious of the fragility of the whole body  and with that consciousness comes a new and degrading kind of fear. It is degrading because it strengthens the desire to survive on any terms  and the desire to survive on any terms is the most base of all our instincts.
Otto Friedrich
medicine, sickness