Tag: gallbladder
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Gallbladder as Fig
Vivian NyePortland, Oregon, United States Artist statement Although lithiasis is painful and often clinically problematic, I like that our bodies participate in the same processes of accumulation and compaction found in nature. Much existing art emphasizes parallels between nature and other organs (e.g., lungs as trees), so I chose to highlight the fruit-like appearance of…
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The history of operating on the abdomen (laparotomy)
For many centuries, “laparotomy” (derived from the Greek “lapara”, “flank or soft part”, and “tome”, “to cut”) was considered extremely dangerous and rarely attempted. There is a poorly documented report on Jacob Nufer, an Austrian or Swiss veterinarian or even pig farmer, who around the year 1550 saved the life of his wife by removing…
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A gastrointestinal quartet
These four individuals, despite their promising, euphonious names, did not write great operas. They were mere anatomists and worked on the area where the pancreas and gallbladder ducts meet to enter the duodenum. The most senior of the group was the German Johann Georg Wirsung (1589–1643). While working in Padua in 1642 and dissecting an…
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A series of messages
Fung Kam YanHong Kong It was a Sunday. I sat outside the ward in my white coat, my eye protection fogging up, trying to catch my breath through the KF94 mask. My grandmother was inside, also struggling to breathe. The nurse said that only two visitors were allowed because of COVID-19 restrictions. It did not…