Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Bladder stones

  • Jacobus Rau: Surgical innovator, renowned lithotomist, and educator at Leiden     

    Johann Jakob Rau, latinized to Johannes, was one of the most influential surgical innovators of early modern Europe, best known for transforming the treatment of urinary bladder stones through his lateral lithotomy technique. Born in 1668 in Baden-Baden, he was the son of wine merchant Johannes and Magdalena Muller. His early exposure to medicine came…

  • The illness and death of Napoleon III

    Napoleon III, the last monarch of France, led a life marked by political ambition, exile, and a quest for legitimacy. Born in Paris in 1808 as the nephew of the reining emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, he spent much of his early life in exile and was involved in several unsuccessful attempts to seize power. In 1848,…

  • Hippocrates, abortion, and cutting for stone

    John RaffenspergerFort Meyers, Florida, United States Physicians who take The Oath of Hippocrates swear not to perform abortions or operate for bladder stones: Similarly, I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause abortion. But I will keep pure and holy both in my life and art. I will not use the knife,…