We respect life; each his own must live. At death precious organs each may give.
Every person should have a living will; But for body parts none should pay or kill.
To allow a person to have another try No one should conceive, be born or die.
When there are organs one chooses to share, These must be used with the greatest of care.
Greater love hath not woman or man Than to save the life of another if they can.
Then let a living will be part of our life's plan To show our love of life and for our fellow man.
The poem "Quality" was written in 1982 for Mr. James R. Petersdorf when he became President of Norton-Kosair Children's Hospital, Inc., now Alliant Health System. I urged him to use his position to lead others to strive for the utmost quality in delivery of care to patients. (Slide)
"Quality is the measure of any action or product with anticipation of improvement of any part, or parts, while striving for perfection."
(Slide) This definition of quality was at the end of the poem and has been lifted for separate uses of the statement. The quotation has probably found more use in business, industry and sports than in medicine and hospital care of patients.
Webster's Deluxe Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition, 1979 defines quality from the Latin, qualitas. (Slide)
quality - n. L. qualitas 1. that which belongs to something and makes or helps to make it what it is; characteristic element; attribute; as, purity of tone is an important quality of music. 2. any character or characteristic which may make an object good or bad, commendable or reprehensible; the degree of excellence which a thing possesses;
