Richard Selzer: Life Imitates Art

Frederic Hellwitz MD, radiology professor at Albany Medical College shared a recent article that reminded him of a short story by author and Troy native Richard Selzer MD, "Luis," about a junkyard scavenger in a Brazilian slum who discovers radioactive material, cesium, from a discarded x-ray machine in the city dump. Luis treasures his find, believing it to be a piece of a star, as it rapidly destroys him and everyone around him.

The article about a discarded, antique radiation device (pictured here) appeared in Imaging Technology News, itnonline.com.

A friend of the Writers Institute, Selzer last visited for a staged reading of a theatrical adaptation of his Doctor Stories in February 2004.