Month: August 2024
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The tenuous gut-brain axis and its role in schizophrenia
When the son of the American surgeon Bayard Holmes developed schizophrenia, Holmes devoted his life to researching the disease. In 1916, impressed by the new germ theory that stated many diseases were caused by an overgrowth of bacteria, he tried to cure his son by opening his abdomen and going through the appendix to wash…
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St. John’s wort: Repelling witches and treating depression
Even the most devout Christian might be excused for not taking off time from his work or pleasures to celebrate on June 25 the birthday (not the gruesome beheading) of St. John the Baptist. This is also the day of the summer solstice (the longest day of the year) when the beautiful yellow St John’s…
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Promoting early 20th century American eugenics under the guise of science
Joseph LockhartSaty Satya-MurtiCalifornia, United States Few adherents of pseudoscientific beliefs have wreaked as much societal and human damage as did the eugenicists during the first half of the 20th century. In America, these beliefs led to large-scale sterilization, immigration controls with flimsy rationales,1 and support of racist education and funding.2 Worldwide, they set the stage…
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The discovery of the Bairnsdale (or Buruli) ulcer and the source of the White Nile
John HaymanParkville, Victoria, Australia Five of the six patients in whom Mycobacterium ulcerans infection was first identified and described lived in the Bairnsdale district of southeastern Australia.1 The mycobacterium was not initially named as such, but the progressive skin ulcer that it causes became known as the “Bairnsdale ulcer.” It was soon appreciated that this…
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Lessons in infection prevention from Ugandan culture
José de la FuenteCiudad Real, Spain The study of ancient cultures may provide insights for modern biomedical advances.1,2 Uganda, known as the “Pearl of Africa,” is a diverse country with many ethnic groups, including the Baganda or Ganda, Acholi, Iteso, Ankole, and Bugisu. The Uganda Museum, established in 1908 in the capital Kampala, is the…
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Emilie Chamberlin-Conklin-Warner (1887–1968)
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel The American poet Emilie Chamberlin-Conklin-Warner is one of the few non-physicians who received a prize or citation from the American Medical Association (AMA). Her Religion Marches1 is a collection of thoughtful, humorous, or sad poems about the life and work of physicians. Among them we find: “A Call to Service,” “Mountain…
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The illness and death of Napoleon III
Napoleon III, the last monarch of France, led a life marked by political ambition, exile, and a quest for legitimacy. Born in Paris in 1808 as the nephew of the reining emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, he spent much of his early life in exile and was involved in several unsuccessful attempts to seize power. In 1848,…
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Tobacco in my time
Hugh Tunstall-PedoeDundee, Scotland Doll and Hill’s 1956 publication1 linking smoking with lung cancer had one quick result—others were delayed by years. My school biology class displayed a cigarette butt among the specimens in our classroom, labelled “Fagendia cancercausia”. A year later when being interviewed for a place at Guy’s Hospital Medical School, most of my…
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Shaggy dog licks patient
As a very young doctor, a very long time ago, I had to support myself by making house calls as a locum or for an agency. The calls often came at night, often from a worried-well patient. Finding the right house was frequently challenging, especially in the suburbs, where people used fancy, elegant names instead…
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Book review: The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care
Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden In the 1950s, parents on both sides of the Atlantic dreaded the arrival of the annual polio epidemic. In the US, the number of polio cases peaked in the summer. In Scandinavia, the polio season was at its worst in September and October—the “autumn ghost.” Studies done nearly a century earlier indicated…