Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Cheviot Hills

  • Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

    Christopher H. CameronKelso, Scottish Borders, United Kingdom The call came at two o’clock from John, a far-flung hill farmer/patient, who sounded puzzled and alarmed. Two teenage girls had arrived at his door in distress and with a garbled tale. They and a third young girl had been dropped at first light by one set of…

  • “Hills Like White Elephants” and the collusion of non-communication

    Clayton BakerRochester, New York, United States There is a particular type of dysfunctional communication that can occur between doctor and patient, a sort of a temporary folie-a-deux. This “collusion of non-communication” happens when a doctor-patient interview reaches a topic that one or both parties find particularly distasteful, frightening, or shameful. Seeking to avoid, or spare…