Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Egypt

  • The Red Cross and hematology pioneers

    Barnabas PastoryDar es Salaam, Tanzania Providing medical care to suffering humankind constitutes an important part of the Red Cross’ service scope. History records an important connection between the Red Cross and pioneers in the subject matter of blood. The humanitarian service of the Red Cross began between 1859 and 1863 with the advocacy efforts of…

  • Medical innovations made by doctors during the Napoleonic Wars

    Craig StoutAberdeen, Scotland The Napoleonic Wars (1799 to 1815) brought great upheaval and turmoil to Europe, with as many as 2.5 million soldiers and 1 million civilians losing their lives. French military physicians, principally Dominique Jean-Larrey, made significant contributions to medicine, saving many lives and helping to develop modern medical practices for future generations. The…

  • Medicine in the afterlife – The Egyptian Book of the Dead

    Maureen HirthlerBradenton, Florida, United States “And therefore shall I neither be borne away, nor carried by force to the East to take part in the festivals of the fiends; nor shall there be given unto me cruel gashes with knives, nor shall I be shut in on every side, nor gored by the horns of…

  • Corruption and organ trafficking in Egyptian medicine

    Hossam Reda GhalabTanta, Egypt Healthcare for the indigent in developing countries often leaves much to be desired. Organ trafficking is rampant, its prevalence rising alarmingly and for some constituting a thriving business. In Egypt, each year hundreds of poor Egyptians sell their kidneys and livers in order to feed their families or pay off debts.…

  • The lost papyrus? Eureka! An African voice

    Ohakpougwu EmmanuelAccra, Ghana The year is 1279 BC, the beginning of the reign of Ramesses II. There are cries and incantations as the priests mumble words and family stand by my bedside alongside pots of medicines for my ailment. I lie on my death bed and drift through the memories of our achievements. If I…

  • History of nephrology: beginnings

    George DuneaChicago, Illinois, United States Introduction In the second half of the 20th century nephrology became a fully-fledged specialty owing largely to the development of renal biopsy, dialysis, and kidney transplantation.1 Yet the seeds of these great advances were sown centuries earlier, based on the work and observations of scientists and clinicians dating to the…

  • On becoming a good physician

    L. Lewis WallSt. Louis, Missouri, USA This is a narrative fiction, and the characters are not a reference to any historical figures. Zeno glanced at the trail ahead of him. He had left the main road a short time before and his destination was now in view, rising up ahead of him to his right.“Ye…