Chapter and verse quotation-citation correspondence site

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Michael D. Robinson writes, “Years ago, I read a quotation: “Every time a physician is called a provider and a patient is called a consumer, an angel dies.” The Internet offers vague allusions to a novel and a columnist, but I couldn’t find a source that includes both parts of the quotation. I have vague memories of the late Uwe Reinhardt, a healthcare economist, as the author, but my Internet search doesn’t support that. Please advise.”

Send inquiries and answers to “Chapter and Verse,” Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138 or chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

Related topics

You might also like

America’s Past, Opera's Future: 11 New Books from Harvard Authors

These newly released novels, histories, and memoirs grapple with identity in all its forms.

The Year a Beat Poet Squatted at Harvard

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

How Adam Ehrlich Sachs Writes Absurd and Beautiful Fiction

The Gretel and the Great War author on how the Lampoon derailed his science career—and set him on a literary path.

Most popular

How Philosophy at Harvard Saved Itself

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

Harvard Law School Announces $31.4 Million Donation

The school’s largest-ever gift comes after a year of record fundraising.

Harvard Graduate Workers Begin Strike

In the second walkout in six months, union leaders call for better pay and benefits and a stronger grievance process.

Explore More From Current Issue

Two fans celebrate in front of a TV showing a football game.

A new Harvard Kennedy School project aims to harness the power of feral fandom.

Bronze statue of a seated figure holding a book, with a campus setting in the background.

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

A man with a long beard and formal attire stands next to a chalkboard with an equation.

Two tales of University greats—and an encounter with a Tiger