Year: 2024
-
To see versus to observe: Why Sherlock Holmes could have been an ophthalmologist
Rida KhanNew York, United States In “A Scandal in Bohemia,” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s first short story within his renowned Sherlock Holmes series, the titular character engages in a lighthearted battle of wits with his companion and right hand, Dr. Watson. After Sherlock explains his process of deduction, a rather chagrined Dr. Watson states, “When…
-
Scales fell from his eyes
George ChristopherMichigan, United States A pivotal moment in the history of Christianity was the conversion of St. Paul while en route to Damascus. “On his journey…a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him…he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? …when he opened…
-
Waking dream
Jeffrey HauckHouston, Texas, united States I found myself in a grassy field. Lush green below, sapphiric blue above. My mother was with me, and we walked through endless space discussing trivialities that I am sure were important at the time. I turned to her at one point, and she gave me a bizarre look—clearly, something…
-
Geel, Belgium: 700 years of caring for mentally ill people
Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden Geel, Belgium is a city of about 40,000 inhabitants, in the Flemish province of Antwerp. It contains a university, and a branch of the esteemed Catholic University of Louvain, and a pharmaceutical plant. Geel may be best known for its centuries-long history of providing care for mentally disturbed individuals. The origin of…
-
Void’s flame
Xuchu LiBeijing, China In late autumn’s golden embrace,scarlet maple leaves softly caress you,a mild exhaustion sensed,a months-long struggle persists.The tumors burgeon and spread like violet flamesupon your withered, skeletal frame—a desolate scene, frail and lame.Each breath feeds its growth.Scalding sweat on your brow,defiant tears in your eyes, unable to dispel it.Yet you fight, through dawn…
-
Burial in modern Greece
Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden While much is known about funeral customs in ancient Greece, the particulars of burial in modern Greece have received little outside attention. Today, one half of the population of Greece lives in the two largest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki. There is not enough space in big urban centers to conduct burials that…
-
Sushruta, the father of rhinoplasty
Matthew TurnerHershey, Pennsylvania, United States From around 1000–800 BC, a golden age of medicine dawned in ancient India, where ayurveda, the “science of life,” flourished.1 At the heart of this revolution was the legendary physician Sushruta, whose writings in the famous Samhita describe surgeries from cataract removal to treatment of bladder stones, diseases including diabetes…
-
Mordecai B. Etziony: Canadian historian of medicine and ethicist
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Mordecai Etziony was born in 1904 and worked in the Department of Medicine at the Jewish General Hospital and Jewish Hospital of Hope, Montreal. He submitted his dissertation to McGill University in 1931 under the title “The problem of ’emotions’ with particular reference to the emotional life of the child.” He…
-
Dr. William Gilbert Grace (W.G.)
JMS PearceHull, England By the time he qualified in medicine in 1879, William Gilbert Grace (1848–1915), known as “WG”, had established himself as the world’s greatest cricketer. Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and the annals of cricket amply chronicle his career1 but are replete with boring statistics, which fail to do justice to his extraordinary, dazzling achievements…
-
Kuru, the laughing disease of New Guinea
New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world that is not a continent (after Greenland). It is divided into the Republic of Papua-New Guinea in the east and a western area that belongs to Indonesia. In both parts, indigenous populations face significant health challenges because of poverty, parasitic diseases, and poor medical facilities. Of…