Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Chang-Wuk Kang

  • The barber-surgeons: Their history over the centuries

    Anusha PillayRaipur, India “His pole, with pewter basins hung,Black, rotten teeth in order strung,Rang’d cups that in the window stood,Lin’d with red rags, to look like blood,Did well his threefold trade explain,Who shav’d, drew teeth, and breath’d a vein.”– The Goat without a Beard by John Gay Barbers today are primarily engaged in caring for…

  • The fallen leaf

    Chang-Wuk KangBaltimore, Maryland, United States As a consulting psychiatrist, my job is fairly straightforward. Often questions involve determining the appropriate DSM-IV diagnosis or medication to calm an agitated patient. However, this day I was asked to see a 42-year-old woman, and the only reason given for the consult was, “the patient is dying from end-stage…