Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Francisco Goya

  • Dr. Arrieta’s lesson: Have we lost something in the gain?

    Ariana ShaariNew York, New York, United States A global pandemic has transformed, almost overnight, the way medical care is delivered. Telemedicine without face-to-face contact has facilitated social distancing, eased the burden on physicians, and increased access to care.1,2 Even before the pandemic, telemedicine had a robust foundation and was being quickly adopted.3 Its first use…

  • The old women of Francisco Goya

    Time is running out for these two decrepit old crones who clearly have seen better days. In this 1820 painting titled El Tiempo, Francisco Goya shows the figure of Cronos hovering over the two women, ready to sweep them away with a broom into the memory of time. The woman in white, her face besmirched…

  • Medical deafness or the madness of war: Goya’s motivation for creating the Black Paintings

    Sarah BahrIndianapolis, Indiana, United States The Spanish painter Francisco Goya darkened the plaster walls of his rural Madrid farmhouse with leering witches, a gaggle of grimacing hags, and a man with bulging eyes devouring a human form. The latter painting, posthumously titled Saturn Devouring His Children, features a Titan plunging a bloody child whole into…

  • A culpable culture: underlying factors in obesity among Hispanic women

    Sarah BahrIndianapolis, Indiana, USA The modern obesity epidemic is an extensive, and growing, problem worldwide. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that the obesity rate doubled among adults and the number of overweight children tripled between 1982 and 2002 (Fisler and Warden 473). And…

  • Francisco Goya’s “black period”

    Alejandro GoyriCarlos Valverde-RMéxico City, México In his so-called “black period,” Francisco Goya created a series of oil paintings, engravings, and drawings that depict witches and mentally or physically disabled individuals. This is particularly clear in the Witches’ Sabbath (1819-1823), in which the facial expression of most of the characters (especially of the young seated woman…