Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Hans Selye

  • Hypochondria

    JMS PearceHull, England, United Kingdom In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold;Alike fantastic, if too new, or old:Be not the first by whom the new are tried,Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.— Alexander Pope The changing use and meaning of words are the daily bread of dictionary compilers. Long ago…

  • Budapest: Medicine and paprika

    L.J. SandlowGeorge DuneaChicago, Illinois, United States The Magyars, ancestors of modern Hungarians, came from the region of the Ural Mountains and invaded Europe around AD 800. Crossing the Carpathian Mountains, they conquered the Pannonian plain and established a large and important medieval kingdom. In 1526 they were defeated at the decisive battle of Mohacs, their…

  • Warning: laughter can be hazardous to your illness

    Bharata WinghamBuckingham, Virginia, United States A cheerful heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit makes one sick.—Proverbs 17:22 Laugh for the health of it! When is the last time you had a good laugh? This was a question I used to ask myself from time to time. If I needed a chuckle,…