Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: human heart

  • The elusive fountain of youth

    Jayant RadhakrishnanChicago, Illinois, United States Important and affluent people have always sought immortality, or at least an inordinately long life, and medical systems have tried to deliver. Āyŭrvēdic, Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, and Greco-Arabic (Ǖnāni) medical systems prescribe diet, exercise, rest, mental peace, and herbs for… Read more

  • Birds and wellbeing

    Simon WeinPetach Tikvah, Israel A robin redbreast in a cagePuts all Heaven in a rage.A dove house fill’d with doves and pigeonsShudders Hell thro’ all its region—William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence” Years ago, as a hemato-oncology registrar, we had a patient with extensive lymphoma who… Read more

  • Galla Placida and the city of Ravenna

    A short train ride from Bologna brings visitors to the historic town of Ravenna. A walk from the station past modest hotels leads to a shady park and a lively main street. At the far end, tourists find the sights they likely came for: the… Read more

  • Cancer is a crab

    Sahanashree RajeshkumarRobbinsville, New Jersey, United States Somewhere around 2650 BCE, an Egyptian scribe described a patient with tumors of the breast, hard and resistant to pressure. When he turned to the question of treatment, he wrote what no patient wants to hear and no doctor… Read more

  • The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

    The Spanish Civil War was fought between the elected Republican government of Spain and the insurgent Nationalist forces led by General Francisco Franco. It determined the future of Spain and also served as a test prelude to World War II, drawing foreign volunteers and professional… Read more

  • 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… Read more

  • Four German emperors named Frederick

    After the death of Charlemagne and his successor Louis the Pious, the eastern part of his extensive empire became the Holy Roman Empire and was ruled by various successor dynasties. Included among these was the Hohenstaufen Dynasty (1138–1254), of which the first emperor was called… Read more

  • The Greeks in Italy: History and medicine

    Beginning around the eighth century BCE, Greek settlers established colonies along the southern coast of the Italian peninsula, notably in Cumae, Neapolis (Naples), Tarentum (Taranto), Sybaris, Croton, Rhegium (Reggio Calabria), and Syracuse. The region became known as Magna Graecia (“Greater Greece”), reflecting the strong influence… Read more

  • Russia’s “Great Patriotic War” and its generals

    When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, its forces advanced with a ferocity that shattered Soviet defenses. Hundreds of thousands of Red Army soldiers were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. By the winter of 1941, the Wehrmacht stood at the gates of Moscow… Read more

  • Kumbhakarna, a sleeping giant: A medico-mythological exploration

    B. Sadananda NaikMoodabidri, India Kumbhakarna, a gigantic brother of the legendary demon king Ravana, is depicted as one of the most powerful warriors in the Indian epic the Ramayana.1 Kumbhakarna became famous for his extraordinary sleep and enormous appetite. According to Hindu mythology, due to… Read more

  • Hiroshima: Are its lessons fading?

    Barry PerlmanNew York, New York, United States For much of my eighty-one years, the threat of nuclear war remained a subliminal fear. Recently, its possibility has roared back into my consciousness. The commemoration of the eightieth anniversary of the first, and we pray last, uses… Read more

  • Beyond the fingerstick

    Allison WangCalifornia, United States I was working the afternoon shift when, after three hours of walking under the sun, I was finally assigned to the blood sugar testing station. The days were long—eight-hour shifts that began at five in the morning as we drove into… Read more