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Dr. Cahill tells me that the codes of neutrality and patient confidentiality are traced back to Hippocrates, a practice that "goes back to a long time before our country was founded. That goes back to the very essence of what we try to do as a profession." Despite some flare-ups at times (he has been stopped by American Immigration more than once and asked to divulge details of his visits with people at odds with American policy), Dr. Cahill says, "Medicine has its own traditions and you can't go out and use your position to spread a rumor or detail. Patients get to know very well if they have your confidence."

This confidence also provides a unique conduit for education and mediation. Dr. Cahill has written widely, particularly in his book Preventive Diplomacy, that the methodology of public health offers an opportunity to combine diplomacy with humanitarian solutions. "I used to think I was the most important person in the camp as a doctor. But the first thing a mother or child wants is a place to play. That becomes very important because it's the protected area you can use to teach children better nutrition or how not to step on a landmine."