Since its founding in 1970, SIU School of Medicine has included instruction in the medical humanities to balance the focus placed on the applied sciences. In 1992 a pair of medical students initiated the creation of Scope, an annual literary arts magazine to serve as a creative outlet for SIU’s medical community. Students, physicians, alumni, staff and family members submit poems, short stories, artwork and photography each winter. Editorial staff review the selections and compile the best works in the spring publication. The 26th edition of Scope included submissions that dealt with love