Tag: Fall 2025
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In praise of speleology
As freshmen at the university, we were advised to join a society or club in order to expand our horizons through what later became known as a liberal education. So, my classmate Pete convinced me to join the speleological society and suggested we should explore the Jenolan Caves, a major tourist attraction in New South…
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Carl Linnaeus as dietitian and pediatrician
Göran WettrellLund, Sweden Carl Linnaeus as pediatrician Carl Linnaeus is best known as a botanist through his classification of the sexual system of plants and taxonomy. His interest in botany was noticed from a young age at Växjö Gymnasium by his teacher, provincial physician Johan Rothman, who instructed the young student in botany and medicine.…
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The rhinoceros, threatened by extinction
Introduction Five rhino species survive across Africa and Asia. They are distinguished by their massive size, thick protective skin, and horns composed of keratin—the same protein as found in human hair and nails. The rhinos once roamed the savannas in large numbers but in more recent years have become the victims of climate and habitat…
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Physicians as inventors
Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel “Research is four things: brains with which to think, eyes with which to see, machines with which to measure, and money.”—Albert Szent-Györgyi, 1937 Inventions can be created either following a sudden enlightenment (for which Claude Bernard coined the term être frappé—to be punched or after a long investigation). Relatively few physicians…
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The hippopotamus in science and medicine
The broad-backed hippopotamusRests on his belly in the mud;Although he seems so firm to usHe is merely flesh and blood. Flesh-and-blood is weak and frail,Susceptible to nervous shock […]—TS Eliot, “The Hippopotamus” When a patient once asked me whether hippopotami ever suffer from high blood pressure, I dreamed that night I was sitting in my…
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Wheeled chairs throughout the ages
Mitchell BataviaNew York, New York, United States Wheeled chairs, which have enabled people with disabilities, injuries, and illnesses to engage more fully in society, have a long and somewhat imprecise history, spanning an evolution from wheelless vehicles such as litters to multi-wheeled mobile structures.1-3 Evidence of a beginning can be found on a fifth century…
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Pulling up a chair: The past and future of the patient-physician relationship
Neal ChanBoston, Massachusetts, United States Pulling up a chair On my fourth year Cardiology rotation, I cared for an elderly patient with atrial fibrillation and worsening heart failure. On rounds, a plan was made to attempt cardioversion and pursue rhythm control of his atrial fibrillation with amiodarone. As we entered the room, we found a…
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“Fart Proudly”: Benjamin Franklin’s “Prize Question” of 1781
James L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States One has no difficulty imagining that flatulence, flatus, or farting might have been a source of humor long before receiving any mention in the historical record. An early example of such humor appears in cuneiform writing of the Sumerians in 1900 BCE and can be traced forward in the…
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The Popes and the Black Death in Avignon
Avignon in southeastern France stands as one of Europe’s most historically significant cities, commonly remembered as the seat of the Catholic papacy during the 14th century and for its famous bridge immortalized in song. It was a time of conflict and unstable conditions in Italy while the French King Philip IV was exerting pressure on…
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Turmeric: The golden spice
Ashutosh GuptaChicago, Illinois, United States Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a flowering plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It belongs to the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Turmeric is called haldi in the Hindi language and is derived from a Sanskrit word, haridra, meaning “one that enhances health.” Turmeric stems (rhizomes) with multiple buds and…