Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Day: January 30, 2017

  • Alexander Scriabin: incarnations of mysticism and philosophies

    Julia PriceIrvine, California, United States Since the brilliant creation of humanity on this planet, the mysteries of our universe have declared themselves instrumental to the question of who and what we are as life forms on this planet. Without thought the more we live. The more we begin to understand how we stylize and express…

  • Tango impressions with medical overtones

    Lazaros TriarhouMacedonia, Thessalonica, Greece Tango and the milonga are more than music or dance genres. They reflect a social phenomenon,1 traditionally embracing emotions, everyday life, culture, poetry, satire, and human concerns. The medical field, with its diverse domains, was no exception in providing a source of inspiration to tango composers,2 whose published scores were consistently…

  • The interrupted concerto: Jacqueline du Pré and MS

    Lea C. DacyMoses RodriguezRochester, Minnesota, United States Although promoted as a “comeback,” it was almost her last public performance. In February 1973, the late Jacqueline du Pré performed the Elgar Cello Concerto in London with the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta. The concerto had been closely associated with du Pré since her landmark…

  • Mahler at 100: a medical history

    Salvatore MangionePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States The year 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustav Mahler, the man who, more than anyone else, heralded the advent of a new musical century. Mahler died from subacute bacterial endocarditis, which, while relatively unknown in 1911, has claimed the lives of many famous people and renowned…

  • The pianist

    Steven ChengSt. Louis, Missouri, United States I had seen her name before. Her recitals were always well covered in the local press and reviews were littered with superlatives. “Sparkling Mozart,” they raved. “ A phenomenon.” “A vessel of tremendous power and virtuosity.” Yet it was always disguised beneath a most unlikely figure. She was barely five feet tall, an…

  • Death lullabies in Russian culture

    Tatiana NovikovaRussia Traditionally, the lullaby has been defined as a sweet, gentle song that a mother sings to coax her child to sleep. It is generally seen as a strong bonding experience for both mother and child, through which the child receives a powerful charge of emotions. In Russian folklore, however, there is a genre…

  • Euterpe Deconstructed: Reflections on the health, illness, and legacy of Wolfgang Mozart

    Vincent de LuiseNew Haven, Connecticut, United States Who was Mozart? Of course, we all know his music. The music! That music, so refined and richly textured, melodic, timeless, ineffably beautiful, and sublime. But, who was Mozart? Who was the man behind those genius creations? So much has been written and said about Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus…

  • A musical vision: the eyes of Bach and Handel

    Vincent P. de LuiseNew Haven, Connecticut, United States George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, the towering musical giants of the Baroque, were both coincidently born in Germany about a month apart, in 1685. They also shared the musical style distinctive of the high Baroque characterized by the masterful use of counterpoint and fugal composition.…

  • Historical reflections on cause, responsibility and blame in medicine

    William AlburyNew England, Armidale, Australia Debauchery and disease In the early years of British settlement in Australia the colonial authorities regarded drunkenness as one of the major evils of the day. Their preoccupation with this social problem was mirrored by the concern of the colony’s medical men with drunkenness as a cause of illness. In…

  • From changelings to extraterrestrials: Depictions of autism in popular culture

    William AlburyNew England, Armidale, Australia While evolution of the modern concept of autism dates from the middle of the twentieth century, evidence suggests that behaviors which are now considered autistic have occurred in the human species since its prehistoric origins (Spikins). The cause of autism is unknown, and its diagnosis can be controversial, but its…