The children of Louis Buttigieg sent in this poem their father had dedicated to his friend and colleague Ċensu Tabone in recognition of his “outstanding services” in the dispute between the government and the Medical Officers Union.

The poem, which appeared in The Times on April 29, 1956, was titled The Leech and is a reflection by a medical doctor of his life and how he was sometimes viewed by his patients.

The word ‘leech’ was used to describe a physician/surgeon who used leeches for bleeding patients.