ABSTRACT:

Sources from literature and art continue to offer perspectives on episodes of collective sense of loss and despair from unavoidable tragedies. The Doctor Stamp, based on the famous painting by British artist Sir Luke Fildes (1844–1927), was issued in 1947 by the US Postal Service to commemorate the first centennial of the founding of the American Medical Association. At the time of issue, the US was in the middle of the mid-century polio epidemic. The author obtained two First Day Covers of The Doctor Stamp, one of which was addressed to Dr. George Minot, who shared the 1934 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for developing the treatment for pernicious anemia. The conjunction of these events—an anniversary, an incurable virus epidemic, and a doctor who found a treatment for a devastating condition of unknown etiology—offer those suffering from a sense of loss and despair due to COVID-19 some hopeful anticipation of better days to come.

摘要：

文学和艺术的来源继续提供关于不可避免的悲剧造成的集体失落感和绝望感的观点。医生邮票以英国艺术家卢克·菲尔德斯爵士（1844-1927 年）的名画为基础，于 1947 年由美国邮政局发行，以纪念美国医学会成立一百周年。在发布时，美国正处于本世纪中叶脊髓灰质炎流行的中期。作者获得两张《 医生邮票》首日封，其中之一是写给乔治·迈诺特博士的，他因开发恶性贫血的治疗方法而分享了 1934 年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。这些事件的结合——一个周年纪念、一场无法治愈的病毒流行，以及一位医生为未知病因的毁灭性疾病找到了治疗方法——为那些因 COVID-19 而感到失落和绝望的人提供了一些对美好日子的充满希望的期待来。