Tag: Fall 2024
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Faith and symphony: Anton Bruckner’s trials and triumphs
Michael YafiChaden YafiHouston, Texas, United States Immersed in the music, the young composer conducted the orchestra with such fervor that he scarcely noticed that more than half the audience had slipped away. When the symphony came to its final notes, instead of the applause he had hoped for, he was met with jeers and boos.…
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The history of eyeglasses
Efforts to improve vision date back to the ancient civilizations of India and China. Greek scholars such as Ptolemy and Euclid endeavored to understand the physics of light refraction, the mechanisms of lenses, and how their properties can enhance vision and literacy. The Romans magnified the letters they were looking at by placing reading stones…
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James Parsons, physician and linguist (1705–1770)
Born in Devon and educated in Dublin, James Parsons studied medicine in Paris and became doctor of medicine at Rheims in 1736. Appointed physician to the public infirmary of St. Giles in 1738, he began an obstetric practice in London and became a Fellow of the Royal Society. He studied antiquities, the fine arts, muscular…
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Epidemic autism?
JMS PearceHull, England All the features that characterize Asperger’s syndrome can be found in varying degrees in the normal population.—JK Wing, Asperger’s syndrome: a clinical account” Impairment in social interaction, communication, and repetitive and stereotyped behavior characterize autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prevalence of Kanner’s autism and Asperger’s syndrome—now grouped as ASD—has apparently increased alarmingly…
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Sam McGee, Dan, and me
Julius BonelloPeoria, Illinois, United States We had just finished an endoscopic procedure and the patient had left the room. We were scurrying around in the dark getting ready for the next patient. As ‘50s and ‘60s music played in the background, we challenged each other to random trivia questions. Thinking that I was “better than…
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Book review: Scars and Stains: Lessons from Intensive Care
Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England In his book Scars and Stains: Lessons from Intensive Care, Mark ZY Tan, a trained anesthetist and intensive care physician, tells stories of patients admitted to the ICU and the split-second clinical decisions and ethical dilemmas faced by the staff involved in their care. Although some of the stories are harrowing to…
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Medical portraits of Max Liebermann
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Max Liebermann was one of Germany’s most influential painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, recognized primarily for his Impressionist style and leadership in German modernism. Durin his long career, Liebermann painted several medical persons who achieved considerable recognition during his time and are still regarded as pioneers in…
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Von Recklinghausen (1833–1910)
Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen is remembered eponymously for describing the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1. He was born in 1833 in Gütersloh, Westphalia, where his father was an elementary school teacher, and his mother died shortly after his birth. He attended high school at Ratsgymnasium in Bielefeld, studied medicine at the universities of Bonn, Würzburg,…
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Democedes, “the most skillful physician of his time”
The renowned Greek physician Democedes of Croton is remembered for his expertise and influential role in the courts of ancient rulers. His father was Calliphon, a priest, physician, and of such savage temper that he caused Democedes to leave Croton and sail away to the island of Aegina. There he set up a medical practice…