I have said it many times and written it just as many that I am convinced, and indeed firmly so, that the medical science is the most interesting, the most fascinating, and the most important science. Undeniably, it is also the most difficult.

From the very first encounter, the medical student discovers the miracle of creation and wonders how all the incredible things that make up a human being came to be. The complexity of various organs and systems, their function, their pathology. This pertains to the science of medicine, whose practice is something entirely different.

The doctor has to face many years of demanding studies - no other school lasts six years. However, it is not just university; there are many other aspects, such as the rural service that lasts one year, the specialization that lasts from five to seven or even more years, and the possible sub-specialization lasting at least three years. There are also many months or years of waiting between appointments at various hospitals, periods of unpaid work, but above all, the continuous lifelong reading of textbooks, scientific journals, the attendance of many conferences each year, in their country or in others.

Together with all this, other qualities are necessary in medical practice, such as love for fellow human beings, compassion, empathy, understanding, and also psychological support for the patient and their family.

Modern medicine combined with technology performs "miracles," the result of which is the extension of life expectancy, as well as improved quality of life.

For all this, you will read below some short texts-experiences from my long medical career in Greece, London, Boston, and New York. Excerpts from books and articles I have written, from my speeches at conferences, as well as my presentations on television. These texts have also been published in a different form in the "Colleagues" column, which I created in the scientific journal "Pediatrics," of which I have the great honor and joy to be the editor. However, they have been corrected, enriched, and rewritten for the present edition.