Tag: Avi Ohry
-
Criminal physicians
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Several doctors in history achieved notoriety for committing murders or for participating in reigns of terror. They range from the British murderer Hawley Harvey Crippen (1910)1 to Joel Le Secournec,2 convicted in France for crimes against hundreds of victims. The surgeon and historian Dr. John Alexandre Olivier Exmling (or Esquemeling) (1646–1798)…
-
A rare case report: Near amputation of a leg from a falling book
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Traumatic injuries are common, resulting from war, natural disasters, workplace mishaps, accidents, or sports. But severe bodily damage occurring in a library? In 1359, the famous Italian poet, humanist, and philosopher from Arezzo, Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374), was reading a book in his library written by one of his admired Roman scholars, Cicero.…
-
Carriages in history and medicine
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel In Ezekiel 1:4-28 there is a reference to a big cloud with a strong wind and fire flashing from it. Inside the cloud, four wheels touched the ground, and all the wheels looked as if they were made from a clear, yellow jewel.1 Various museums, such as the Museum of Science…
-
Belmont DeForest Bogart (1867–1934): Cardiac surgeon and father of a famous actor
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Bogart–Bacall syndrome (BBS)1,2 is a voice disorder caused by abuse or overuse of the vocal cords; people who speak or sing outside their normal vocal range can develop it. Symptoms are chiefly an unusually deep or rough voice, or dysphonia, and vocal fatigue. The syndrome is named after the famous actor…
-
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…
-
Medical portraits of Max Liebermann
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Max Liebermann was one of Germany’s most influential painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, recognized primarily for his Impressionist style and leadership in German modernism. Durin his long career, Liebermann painted several medical persons who achieved considerable recognition during his time and are still regarded as pioneers in…
-
On culinary tasting and a genetic syndrome
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Laurent Grimod de La Reynière1,2 (1758–1837) studied law in Lausanne and on returning to Paris made his name by writing reviews for the Journal des théâtres in 1777–78 and some for the scandal chronicle Correspondence secrète, politique et littéraire. He survived the French revolution “partly because Danton and Robespierre liked him,…
-
Israel Spach the biographer and the Lithopedion of Sens
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Israel Spach (Israele Spachio, Spachius) (1569–1610), was raised and studied in Strasbourg and later in Paris under Jean Riolan the Elder.1 He finished his medical studies at the University of Tübingen under Andreas Planer in 1581.2 In 1589 he returned to Strasbourg, where he married3 and lived until his death. The…
-
The Mauriacs
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Howard Fischer (1947–2024). Three persons bearing the name Mauriac are remembered to have achieved a place of distinction in French literature and medicine. The most famous of these was François Charles Mauriac1 (1885–1970), “a French novelist, dramatist, critic, poet, and journalist,” author of A Kiss…