title: The World Trade Center attack. Eye witness: observations of a physician on the outside looking in.
abstract: Having personally witnessed the destruction at the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, this paper presents my personal feelings and observations as an observer of both disaster and terror. Aside from the unimaginable horror as a result of the carnage, a feeling of helplessness was particularly prominent due to the inability to be able to care for casualties since most victims were fatalities. The passage of time has enabled a return to normalcy, however 'normalcy' carries a new definition due to the vastness of the tragedy and the sudden threat of bioterrorism and other weapons of mass destruction.
authors.affiliation: Director, Division of Research and Attending Intensivist, Department of Emergency Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA. dchalfin@applied-decision.com
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Chalfin
mesh_terms: D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States