Month: July 2024
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Dr. Mary Edwards Walker: A trailblazer for female surgeons
Shabnam ParsaLeshya BokkaLiam ButchartStony Brook, New York, United States Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832–1919) was the first female surgeon in the United States—a pioneering educator, clinician, and medical innovator.1 Her academic path was paved by her parents’ dedication to education. Vesta and Alva Walker established the first free school in Oswego, New York, where they…
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Onchocerciasis, a continuing cause of blindness
Among the various illnesses that deprive humans of their sight, onchocerciasis ranks highest. It affects millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as substantial numbers in Yemen and isolated areas of Brazil and Venezuela. Transmitted by infected blackflies that breed near fast-flowing streams and rivers, it is commonly known as “river blindness.” The disease…
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John Caius, MD (1510–1573)
JMS PearceHull, England Eminent physicians are remembered in different ways. A few have a street, statue, university department, or hall to perpetuate their name. But to have a college named after you is an uncommon distinction. John (Johannes) Caius—usually pronounced Keys—was born in Norwich, son of Robert Caius and Alice (née Wode). He was an…
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Chocolate created a commotion in Chiapa cathedral
Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden “Beware the chocolate of Chiapas.”—Mexican saying The cacao bean, the essential ingredient in chocolate, is native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and South America. There is evidence that chocolate was used in Ecuador over 5,000 years ago.1 The Aztecs produced a ceremonial drink called chocolatl. The Spanish invaders of the New World…
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Sand flies, leishmaniasis, and kala-azar
Sand flies are about three millimeters long and gray, brownish or golden, with long, piercing mouthparts adapted for sucking blood from their hosts. These seemingly innocuous creatures, classified as belonging to the genus Phlebotomus or Lutzomyia, have long legs and hairy wings held in a vertical V-shape when at rest. They seek moist resting places…
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Bioarchaeological findings support ancient representations of surgical limb amputation, part two: Examples from the New World
Peter de SmetNijmegen, Netherlands See Part One for examples from the Old World Case 4: Finger amputation among the ancient Maya Iconography1 The vessel in Fig. 1 is in the collections of the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin (inv.no. IV Ca 15186 a). It was found to contain the phalanges of a little finger together with…
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Bioarchaeological findings support ancient representations of surgical limb amputation, part one: Examples from the Old World
Peter de SmetNijmegen, Netherlands See Part Two for examples from the New World Surgical amputation is defined here as the cutting or chopping off a protruding part of the body (as a whole or partial limb). It has been known for a long time that surgical amputees can be represented in the artifacts of ancient…
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Fasciola hepatica, the liver fluke of sheep and cattle
The liver flukes Fasciola hepatica and gigantica are parasitic infections that affect humans and animals—cattle, sheep, and goats—in all inhabited areas where they are raised, on all continents, and in over eighty countries. People acquire the disease by eating raw vegetables such as watercress that have been contaminated by one of thirty species of snails,…
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Tapeworm tribulations
Taenia saginata, solium, and asiatica are three related species of tapeworms, each with its own lifecycle, mode of transmission, and clinical implications. The adult tapeworms cause few symptoms, but their larvae can be more troublesome. These parasites have afflicted mankind for thousands of years, perhaps when switching from large carnivores to less dangerous hosts such…
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On blue and blues
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel As a child born with blue eyes, I wondered why I don’t see the world around me in a blue color. Later in life, as an amateur jazz drummer, I was passionate about the popular song “Blue Moon” (1934), Jobim’s “No More Blues”, and blue jeans. The blue color dominates our…