Tag: George Dunea
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Olives now and then
Olives in their natural state are exceedingly bitter. I made that discovery by the roadside between Granada and Madrid when I reached up and plucked an olive from a tree. I later learned that olives are made edible by leaching out a bitter phenolic compound called oleuropein. This is done by pickling or curing techniques…
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Dominique-Vivant Denon, first director of the Louvre
Dominique-Vivant Denon (1747–1825) was a polymath whose career spanned art, archaeology, diplomacy, and museum curation. Born into minor nobility on January 4, 1747, in Givry, Burgundy, he became one of the most influential cultural figures of his time. After studying law in Paris, Denon switched to a diplomatic career, serving under Louis XV and Louis…
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Plutarch and medical practice (c. 46–120 CE)
Plutarch does not immediately come to mind when one considers the history of medicine. Known primarily as an historian, he was born in Chaeronea when Greece was already part of the Roman Empire. Widely influential, he was an important biographer, philosopher, and teacher, with a deep interest in ethics, morality, and how one should conduct…
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Women in medicine
Women have long faced discrimination, prejudice, and exclusion from formal medical training, despite having served as healers and midwives since antiquity. In ancient Egypt, Merit Ptah was recognized as the first known woman physician in about 2700 BCE. In Greece, owing to societal restrictions, women like Agnodice practiced medicine clandestinely, eventually leading to legal reforms…
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Diana Beck, neurosurgery pioneer
Born in Chester, England, in 1902, Diana Beck attended the University of Oxford and studied medicine at the School of Medicine for Women (later renamed the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine). She graduated in 1925, and, after working as a surgical registrar, took her FRCS London and Edinburgh. Her exceptional surgical skills led her…
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Lucius Cornelius Sulla in health and disease (138–78 BCE)
The transition from democracy to dictatorship and tyranny is never pleasant to behold. Whatever its causes, whatever defects it sets out to remedy, it more often than not leads to blood being spilt and tears being shed. This is exemplified by the story of Cornelius Sulla, the first Roman general to seize power through force…
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Soap and bathing in ancient and modern times
Humans have used soap since time immemorial. Yet bathing was not always a high priority, not even at the elegant court of Louis XIV, where noblemen relied largely on using perfume. “I am coming home, do not wash,” wrote Napoleon to his wife Josephine, concerned that she would wash away her pheromones. John Wesley preached…
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Two medical pioneers named Whipple
Two medical pioneers, both sharing the surname Whipple but not related to one another and working in distinct fields of medicine, made a lasting impact on the treatment of two diseases that in their time were universally fatal. Dr. George Hoyt Whipple (1878–1976) was a physician, pathologist, and medical researcher whose work revolutionized the treatment…
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On eating the heart of the Sun King, Louis XIV
Since time immemorial it has been the custom of certain cultures to bury the heart of deceased kings or rulers separately from their body. This practice has spanned centuries and reflected a variety of different religious, political, and cultural beliefs. For example, ancient Egyptians believed the heart was the seat of the soul and placed…
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The tragedy of the Shah of Shahs
The story of the last Shah began with his father, Reza Khan, a military commander who seized power in 1925 and established the Pahlavi dynasty. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ascended to the throne in 1941 during World War II; the British and Soviets forced Reza Shah’s abdication because of his German sympathies. The early…