Author: Hektoen International
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Franz Boas (1858–1942): Titan of Anthropology
Hailed as the “Father of American Anthropology”, Franz Boas was well ahead of his time in challenging prevailing racial theories and promoting an understanding of diverse human cultures. He influenced a generation of younger scholars who followed his way of thinking, greatly contributing to the study of culture, race, and language and laying the groundwork…
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James Robinson: First anaesthetic in England
JMS PearceHull, England The dramatic benefits of ether anesthesia spread astonishingly quickly from the New World to the Old.1-3 James Robinson (1813–1862), a Guy’s Hospital trained dental surgeon, practiced at 14 Gower Street. A few doors away lived Francis Boott, an American expatriate physician. The Royal Mail steamship Acadia, on 16 December 1846, docked in…
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Book review: Casanova and Enlightenment
Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England The eighteenth-century polymath Casanova is best remembered today for his amorous adventures. Sadly, his considerable contributions in a variety of fields of learning are often forgotten. Giacomo Casanova was a linguist, soldier, clergyman, entrepreneur, mathematician, diplomat, and conman. He spent time in prison but also was an accomplished man of letters…
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Remembering George
Anthony PapagiannisThessaloniki, Greece It is early morning on New Year’s Eve, and as I am about to get up from a good night’s sleep, I remember George. There were three of us who had graduated together from the same high school class half a century ago and subsequently went into medicine. University admission was the…
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Book review: The Woman Who Revolutionised Nurses’ Training: The Life and Career of Rebecca Strong
Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England When asked to name a famous nurse from the past, the most common name that rolls off people’s lips is nearly always Florence Nightingale. Sadly, many other pioneering nurses from yesteryear remain forgotten in spite of major contributions to their profession. In this new biography, the life of the pioneering nurse…
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Making a difference in the AIDS epidemic
Sandro VentoPhnom Penh, Cambodia Enzo entered the room with hesitancy. A nurse drew his blood, then moved him to where a young doctor was waiting, looking serious. As he asked Enzo to sit down, he inspired confidence. Enzo answered his initial questions with few words, having told his story too many times to too many…
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Science, wine, and music in Asti
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Back in 1993, while spending a sabbatical in Long Island, a few medical colleagues suggested we meet at a special Italian restaurant called Asti. The restaurant was located at 13 E. 12th St. in Greenwich Village, NYC. It was a unique experience. Besides an excellent menu, many of the waiters were…
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María de las Mercedes, the Spanish Romantic queen
Nicolas RoblesBadajoz, Spain Ya Mercedes está muerta,muerta está, que yo la ví,cuatro duques la llevabanpor las calles de Madrid. Mercedes is already dead,she’s dead, I did saw her,four dukes were her carryingthrough the streets of Madrid.—Popular Spanish song María de la Mercedes de Orleans y Borbón was born in Madrid, Spain, on June 24, 1860.…
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Tonsillectomy, then and now
The story of tonsillectomy can be traced back to antiquity. As early as 2000 BC, Ayurvedic doctors used primitive tools and herbal remedies to remove their patients’ pus-laden tonsils. In Roman times, Cornelius Celsus (25 BC–50 AD) shelled out tonsils with only his fingers, Galen of Pergamon used a wire snare (121–200 AD), and Paul…
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Invitation to tea
Sandra GaynorChicago, Illinois, United States Kena motioned for me to come up to her apartment. I had driven her home from the knitting circle, as I did every Wednesday. This was the third time she had asked me to “come up for tea,” and so I accepted. Kena is in her fifties, I think. She…