Author: Hektoen International
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Theopompus of Chios and public health in antiquity
Theopompus was a Greek historian and rhetorician who lived from c. 380 to 315 BCE. He was not a physician, yet his works offer a window into how the ancient Greeks understood health, disease, and contagion. Born on the Aegean island of Chios in c. 377 BCE, he spent his early youth in Athens with…
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Dronacharya: A father, a teacher, and a human
Rao UppuBaton Rouge, Louisiana, United States The epics of ancient India, particularly the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics, offer enduring insights into human nature. Among them, Dronacharya, a revered teacher of warfare and royal preceptor to the Kuru princes, stands out as reflecting both the strengths and limits of a teacher. Dronacharya’s…
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Memento mori and ora pro nobis: Finding healing in sacred art
Marilyn NapolitanoScottsdale, Arizona, United States A storied connection exists between religion and medicine. The first hospitals were monasteries and convents, where holistic care tended to spiritual needs alongside those of the body. From the Middle Ages on, religious orders played a major role in the founding of medical institutions. Between 1866 and 1926 alone, nuns…
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Slovenia: A young, independent country
The maps of the world are ever-changing as small principalities grow into mighty empires, which, in their turn, decline and break apart. The Slovenians, ever since their arrival from the Eastern European plains, have been part of several permutations and combinations, eventually belonging to the Habsburg Empire, which itself began as a small territory at…
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Takotsubo syndrome in art: A tale of broken hearts
Rafiq YusifliSevil YusifliBaku, Azerbaijan The role of emotional factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases has long been a focus of attention for physicians and researchers. Some acute cardiac pathologies that arise following intense emotional stress were only defined as independent entities toward the end of the twentieth century. Takotsubo syndrome, also known as “broken…
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Serbia: History, war, and medicine
The territory of present-day Serbia has been inhabited since prehistoric times, most notably by the Vinča culture (c. 5700–4500 BCE), one of Europe’s earliest advanced societies. This sophisticated civilization produced early forms of proto-writing and advanced ceramic artistry as well as early medical awareness, including trepanation to treat trauma or neurological conditions. The region later…
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Hamlet and everyone after
Panayiota AntypasTasmania, Australia For most of my life, I believed that suicidality was a direct consequence of acute and unmedicated mental illness. I thought that if we admitted the patient, removed the means, and administered treatment, they would be quickly reinvigorated with a will to live. Then I met patients, colleagues, and friends who wanted…
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The ghost in the steel: What we lose when old instruments disappear
Yogesh SalphaleChandrapur, India In the modern operating theater, the soundtrack is one of high-frequency whines and digital pings. We have entered the era of the “power-driven” surgeon, where battery-operated drills, robotic arms, and navigated arrays have turned the once visceral act of orthopedics into a clean, almost detached geometry. But as I look at the…
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Where music is medicine—Lessons from the waiting room
Elena IliadisWashington, D.C., United States “Can I give you a hug?” Her words cut through the air as I looked up from my music stand at the woman standing over me, her face flushed and wet with tears. I shot up from my seat, too stunned to mutter more than a quiet “Of course” before…
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The deal and discharges
Vartika MishraLucknow, India “This is all I have ever wanted. I have worked hard for this, and now is the time to rise and shine,” I reminded myself as I entered the shabby gates of the hospital. As a first-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology, inspiring myself to get out of bed every day had…