Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Diamonds Are Forever

  • The death of Joseph Stalin

    On March 1, 1953, the most feared man in the world lay on the floor dying in the Kuntsevo Dacha, outside Moscow, in a pool of his own urine. He had been there for hours. Guards had discovered him sometime after midnight—crumpled beside his bed,… Read more

  • A collective narrative of Black women physicians in the United States

    Kathryne DycusUnited States In Twice As Hard: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, From the Civil War to the 21st Century, Jasmine Brown hands us a collection of Black women physicians’ narratives and inserts her own into the mix. “Initially, I… Read more

  • A doctor does not know how to change a tire!

    Omer AltamimiJeddah, Saudi Arabia A doctor spends years learning how to recognize sepsis, read a scan, close a wound, and speak to a frightened patient. Then one day, he may stand beside a flat tire and realize he does not even know where to place… Read more

  • The death of Cicero

    The death of Marcus Tullius Cicero marked the end of one of the most brilliant careers in the history of the Roman Republic. Cicero was not only a statesman and lawyer but also a philosopher, writer, and defender of republican government. His assassination in 43… Read more

  • Sahara, the desert that once was green 

    The Sahara is the largest desert in the world, stretching across North Africa and covering nine million square kilometers from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.  It has a population of some 2.5 million people, many of whom are nomadic. Although the term “Sahara” conveys… Read more

  • Damascus, the oldest capital city in the world

    Damascus, capital of Syria, was settled as early as 9000 BCE. It stands on the eastern slopes of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, nourished by the Barada River. The city was never abandoned or swallowed by desert sands; it always served as a center for trade, culture,… Read more

  • Did Queen Anne have systemic lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome?

    Óscar Lamas FilgueiraValencia, Spain Queen Anne is remembered as the last Stuart sovereign and the queen under whom the kingdoms of England and Scotland were formally united in 1707. Her personal life was marked by profound physical suffering. Contemporary accounts described her as chronically ill,… Read more

  • Medical themes in the writing of Richard Graves

    Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Richard Graves (1715–1804) was an English cleric, poet, and novelist. He published a novel in 1773 titled The Spiritual Quixote; or, The Summer’s Ramble of Mr. Geoffry Wildgoose. In 1732, Graves finished his studies in Oxford and became a fellow at… Read more

  • Tobacco and hunger

    Nicolas RoblesArturo Benegasi Jose MarínBadajoz, Spain Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is a plant whose leaves contain high levels of nicotine, a highly addictive stimulant. Spaniards brought tobacco to Europe in the fifteenth century from the Antilles in the Caribbean, where it was smoked in traditional ceremonies… Read more

  • The toxin in the garden: The Wilms tumor miracle

    Prasad IyerSingapore The history of modern oncology almost always begins with a single name and clinical obsession: Sidney Farber and his war against “the white blood.” The 1947 aminopterin breakthrough at Boston Children’s Hospital is recounted with the reverence of a foundational story, the moment… Read more

  • Peter the Great and his reforms

    Peter the Great ruled Russia from 1682 to 1725 and is remembered for his reforms that modernized the Russian state. Born in 1672, he became tsar at a young age, though he initially ruled jointly with his half-brother Ivan V under the regency of his… Read more

  • Paul Janssen: Fentanyl innovator

    Alan Jay SchwartzPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Fentanyl is a remarkably potent opioid analgesic, but unfortunately is easily abused. It was invented by Paul Janssen (1926–2003) a Belgian entrepreneurial physician and founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica.1,2 Paul was the son of Constant Janssen (1895–1970), whose entrepreneurial mission… Read more