Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Alexander the Great

  • Wasps, bees, and honey

    Bees, wasps, and honey play a potentially important role in the medical world. Only bees make honey, but both bees and wasps are of interest because their bites, though usually trivial, can cause allergic reactions ranging from mild swelling and itching to life-threatening anaphylaxis. These biting insects belong to the order Hymenoptera and need to…

  • Notes made after a medical meeting in Rhodes a long time ago

    It is time to relax between presentations, away from medical crowds, from lectures and posters, from science, medical education, and eager pharmaceutical representatives. It is also a respite from sleet and snow, and there is no need to wear a coat, for the sun shines almost all day. This is also an opportunity to learn…

  • Frankincense and myrrh: Medicinal resin worth more than gold

    Mariel TishmaChicago, Illinois, United States Boswellia and Commiphora trees are scraggly, sharp, and unfriendly. Growing close to the ground in the arid desert, they have short trunks and fanning branches, sometimes looking more like shrubs than trees. But despite their unlikely appearance, they once served as the cornerstone of an ancient trade.1 When cut or…

  • The death of Alexander the Great

    George DuneaChicago, IL Possibly the greatest warrior of all times, Alexander of Macedon died aged 32 at Babylon. Within 12 years he had overthrown an empire that had lasted two centuries, conquered the greater part of the Eastern world, became worshiped as a god, and forever changed the course of history.1 Fair and light skinned,…