"The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing," says the book of Ecclesiastes.

If something that satisfies eye or ear is missing from the scientific observation and data gathering that takes place in our classrooms, examining rooms, and laboratories, what is it? One person might say "creativity "; another, "meaning," or " truth." These things are not in the observed, but in the observer—one brings them to what one sees and hears. They relate to a rich inner life in which personal, narrative truth gains thickness and imagination sparks creativity or leads to discovery.

If that's the way it is with individuals, by extension it could be the same for professional and academic communities. Especially one that does as much seeing and hearing as MUSC does. We, of all institutions, need a rich inner life to permeate our investigation, teaching, and clinical care with meaning. In other words, the satisfying part is connecting our work with human ends and with the whole, wild ride of the human journey along the way.

The Medical University Humanities Committee presents this slender yet significant volume as evidence of the "inner life" of the University. I would call these literary and artistic contributions signs of health. The volume could have been much larger. Next time, when the next volume is published, it will be.

The Humanities Committee, composed of faculty and students from all six colleges of MUSC, is devoted to strengthening the inner life of the University. With gratitude to those members of the University who submitted their work for this volume, we offer it for the pleasure of all. No, no just pleasure. More than that. Satisfaction.

Thanks for reading, Albert H. Keller, Jr., D.Min. Chairman, University Humanities Committee