Month: June 2026
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Lamps in medicine
Long before modern hospitals existed, lamps played an essential role in patient care, and medical progress often depended on improvements in illumination. In Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, oil lamps were commonly used to provide light during examinations and treatments. These lamps burned olive oil and animal fat, enabling physicians to continue their work after…
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The elusive fountain of youth
Jayant RadhakrishnanChicago, Illinois, United States Important and affluent people have always sought immortality, or at least an inordinately long life, and medical systems have tried to deliver. Āyŭrvēdic, Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, and Greco-Arabic (Ǖnāni) medical systems prescribe diet, exercise, rest, mental peace, and herbs for longevity by promoting healthy living. Āyŭrvēdă also advocates Răsăyānă, an…
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Birds and wellbeing
Simon WeinPetach Tikvah, Israel A robin redbreast in a cagePuts all Heaven in a rage.A dove house fill’d with doves and pigeonsShudders Hell thro’ all its region—William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence” Years ago, as a hemato-oncology registrar, we had a patient with extensive lymphoma who was jaundiced. The patient was ethnically Jewish, and her family…
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Galla Placida and the city of Ravenna
A short train ride from Bologna brings visitors to the historic town of Ravenna. A walk from the station past modest hotels leads to a shady park and a lively main street. At the far end, tourists find the sights they likely came for: the magnificent mosaics in the cathedral and the mausoleum of Galla…
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Cancer is a crab
Sahanashree RajeshkumarRobbinsville, New Jersey, United States Somewhere around 2650 BCE, an Egyptian scribe described a patient with tumors of the breast, hard and resistant to pressure. When he turned to the question of treatment, he wrote what no patient wants to hear and no doctor wants to say: there was none. The Edwin Smith Surgical…
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The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
The Spanish Civil War was fought between the elected Republican government of Spain and the insurgent Nationalist forces led by General Francisco Franco. It determined the future of Spain and also served as a test prelude to World War II, drawing foreign volunteers and professional armies from Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union. The roots…
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Gallbladder as Fig
Vivian NyePortland, Oregon, United States Artist statement Although lithiasis is painful and often clinically problematic, I like that our bodies participate in the same processes of accumulation and compaction found in nature. Much existing art emphasizes parallels between nature and other organs (e.g., lungs as trees), so I chose to highlight the fruit-like appearance of…
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The Greeks in Italy: History and medicine
Beginning around the eighth century BCE, Greek settlers established colonies along the southern coast of the Italian peninsula, notably in Cumae, Neapolis (Naples), Tarentum (Taranto), Sybaris, Croton, Rhegium (Reggio Calabria), and Syracuse. The region became known as Magna Graecia (“Greater Greece”), reflecting the strong influence of Greek culture, language, religion, and learning. Greek colonists, merchants,…