Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: COVID

  • Navigating the waters of post-COVID survivorship

    Denise BockwoldtChicago, Illinois, United States On the TV news, COVID survivors are being rolled out of the hospital in wheelchairs, applauded and cheered on by a crowd of hospital staff. “They’ve recovered!” the reporter announces happily. It is a hopeful sign for everyone who fears this virus, and for healthcare workers a ritual that affirms…

  • Covid-19 and the mind: a short play

    Catalina FlorescuHoboken, New Jersey, United States Characters: LOLA, late 40’s TORA, mid 40’s Setting: Two apartments in NYC. Imagine the dialogue happening in two balconies or, for a more absurd take, the same apartment divided by French doors. Time: During the historic plague of 2020. Notes on acting: These women are neighbors. They are also…

  • To see or not to see

    J. Trig BrownDurham, North Carolina, United States In my youth I watchedthe body countmount.In black and whitethe nightly news“and that’s the way it is”Saint Walter mouthed,to living rooms nationwide.This visible enemyInvisibly changing us all. Today, masked, I watchthe body countmount.In high definitioncolorful graphics,erratic, non-stop messaging,fingers pointingfingers crossed,this invisible enemyvisibly changing us all. J. TRIG BROWN,…

  • Plagues and prejudice

    Anne JacobsonOak Park, Illinois, United States It was a calm, clear January morning on the gritty streets of paradise. Honolulu, the capital of the newly-annexed U.S. territory of Hawaii, was ushering out a century of upheaval that had included the arrival of explorers, missionaries, and deadly diseases such as smallpox and measles; the overthrow of…

  • Philip Roth’s Nemesis: a lesson for today

    James L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States As we grapple with the impact of the current pandemic caused by the coronavirus, Covid–19, we may wish to seek understanding in works of non-fiction such as The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John M. Barry or the writings of authors from…

  • COVID-19 and Malta’s Black Plague epidemic of 1813

    Victor GrechPembroke, Malta Malta in the British Empire In the nineteenth century Malta had a population of around 91,000 people and was governed by the British Empire. Despite its small size and absence of natural resources, the island was an important Mediterranean crossroads, with a vital natural harbor and a crucial military base. Malta had…