Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Biology

  • Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanity

    Ramon LimIowa City, Iowa, United States Since an early age, I have often wondered who we are (individually as well as a species) and what might be our place in the universe. I believe that the ultimate goal of science, apart from its utilitarian role, is to help us gain insight into what life is…

  • The Rockefeller Institute and the growth of cell biology

    Adil MenonBrookline, Massachusetts, United States In 1995 Nobel-winning cell biologist George Palade stated that “a newborn baby needs, of course, a friendly, comfortable cradle, which was provided by the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and thus became the American cradle of cell biology.”1 This essay explores the unique aspects of this cradle, which  nurtured the…

  • Fear

    Dalis Seungeun KimUSF Morsani College of Medicine, USA Artist statement This painting depicts fear and the interplay of different regions of the brain (i.e. hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala). The serpent’s tongue is reaching toward the individual in white—haunting memory inducing fear in the hippocampus (brain area essential in memory). Meanwhile, the face on the…