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We live in a society where beauty is a measure of worth. Aesthetics are necessary for survival. However, there are things we see that are not pleasing. A haggard, old street musician; a dirty smog-filled alley; a town left ravaged by warfare; an obese, sweaty taxi driver; all of these things are not “beautiful.” Yet there is a certain exquisiteness to each one of them. Finding it is not always easy, but it is important. In his book Letters to a Young Doctor, Richard Selzer addresses some aspects of our own mortality and vulnerability that are not “pretty” to think about. Appreciating the intrinsic beauty and value in things that aren’t considered classically beautiful, however, is an important feature for both surgery and life. In the essays “The Slug” and “Letter to a Young Surgeon IV,” Selzer demonstrates his understanding of this. Most of Selzer’s essays in this book are cases he has had or advice he has for young surgeons. Each one describes, through medical anecdotes, something he wants the reader to learn. One hundred twenty-six pages into the book, however, the reader comes upon a very different essay entitled “The Slug.” In this piece Selzer describes a particularly interesting garden h