Trainer began the first day of anatomy class with three simple rules: "Drink unsweetened iced tea-the tannic acid is good for your heart, as is the absence of refined sugar; take an aspirin every day, as it causes your arteries and veins to become less sticky and less apt to catch plaque; and never take the elevator when there's a stairwell nearby." He patted the jar of M&Ms on his desk and said, "Oh, and take care to control your addictions." Some things are so simple. He ended class by saying, "Remember, ladies and gentlemen, you will learn many techniques and procedures, but the best tool you'll ever work with is the one that fits between the earpieces of your stethoscope." When the laughter quieted he held up a finger and said quietly, "Never forget, the best is the enemy of the good." But I already knew this, because I had read Voltaire. On our first day, we met our cadavers. My team and I were given three people, all blue, wrinkly, and very much dead, whom we would work on throughout the semester.
