Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Month: January 2017

  • The castrati: A physician’s perspective, part 2

    James L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States The first half of this article was previously published in Hektoen International, Summer 2010, as The castrati: A physician’s perspective, part I Medical aspects In this second part, we turn to the medical aspects of our subject and questions of by whom and by what methods were these operations performed.…

  • The castrati: A physician’s perspective, part 1

    James L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States A modified version of this paper was presented on March 1, 2010 to the Chicago Literary Club. “The castrati: a physician’s perspective” will appear in two installments. The first one in this issue details the history, sociology and musical history relevant to the rise of the castrato in the 17th…

  • Mozart, Mesmer and medicine

    James L. FranklinChicago, IL Paper given at the Chicago Literary Club on February 16, 2004 As a physician, I have long been interested in representations of medical topics in literature, art and music. Examples quickly come to mind: the world of the tuberculosis sanatorium in “The Magic Mountain” of Thomas Mann or an epidemic in…

  • “Breath of life you’ll be to me”—The portrayal of tuberculosis in the opera La Traviata

    Judith WagnerMunich, Germany The white half-round of the stage is illuminated with an eerie blue light. The only prop is a large clock on the right-hand side. A dark figure is seated beside it. The door on the left opens and the heroine—clad all in red—enters the stage. Strings accompany her appearance with a low…

  • 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…