Tag Archives: Christmas

The ordeal of Evelyn Waugh

November 21, 2022

Stephen McWilliams Dublin, Ireland   Evelyn Waugh. Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery. In Evelyn Waugh’s second-last novel, The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold (1957), the eponymous character experiences some singular and troubling symptoms. Mr. Pinfold is a successful writer, not unlike Waugh himself, who embarks on a sea voyage in an effort to cure the chronic […]

And for unto us… Medicine, Messiah, and Christmas

November 10, 2022

Desmond O’Neill Dublin, Ireland   Program cover for Handel and Haydn Society concert of December 25, 1815. Courtesy of the Handel and Haydn Society Archives. Although the very first performance of the Messiah took place in April 1742 in Dublin with the London première following in March 1743, the oratorio is closely associated with the […]

Winston Churchill’s Illnesses

February 25, 2021

Arpan K. Banerjee Solihull, United Kingdom   Cover: Winston Churchill’s Illnesses by A. Vale and J. Scadding. Winston Churchill was one of the most important political figures of the twentieth century. As such, it is not surprising that he has been the subject of many biographies that have chronicled his life and many achievements, most […]

Cancer warrior

June 3, 2020

Thanuja Subramaniam Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia   Photo by cottonbro from Pexels  Eight months ago, my brother was diagnosed with stage 2 urothelial carcinoma. For months he had been telling me that his urine had “a tinge of red” to it. I dismissed it as dehydration, since he was young but did not take good care of himself. Some […]

Defining donation

January 30, 2020

Ahmad Shakeri Howsikan Kugathasan Toronto, Canada   Money for blood can be another tool we consider in solving shortage. Image: “Today’s blood on an old receipt – merry christmas!” Photo by carloscappaticci, Dec. 24, 2007, on Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Money was tight in college for my roommate and me. I had a book buying […]

Win or Lose

January 29, 2018

Ashley Austin Charlottesville, Virginia, United States   It was my second month of trauma surgery and the deer-in-the-headlights look had not completely faded. I sat in the surgery resident lounge area finishing up some post-operative notes. The trauma pager and walkie-talkie weighed heavily on my hip. It was not the physical weight, but the weight […]

The boy with the fedora

January 29, 2017

Christopher Schayer New Haven, Connecticut, United States   Radio City Music Hall in New York City One of the many wonderful things about going to school in New Haven, Connecticut is its proximity to New York City. From the Metro North ride into the opulent Grand Central Station, to window shopping on 5th Avenue, or […]