Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Jonathan Davidson

  • A trio of Confederate military surgeons: Samuel Moore, James McCaw and Joseph Jones

    Jonathan DavidsonDurham, North Carolina, United States The Civil War between the States took a heavy toll, claiming over 600,000 lives, or two percent of the population. Countless more suffered from injuries and other diseases. Reilly1 has listed some of the advances in medical care that took place during this conflict. For the most part, the…

  • The Bancroft doctors: Edward, Daniel, and Nathaniel

    Jonathan DavidsonDurham, North Carolina, United States Quercitin is a flavonoid compound derived from quercitron, found in many plants and vegetables. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other effects and has possible therapeutic value.1 Quercitin not only has medicinal properties, but for almost 100 years was the chief coloring agent used in the textile and printing industry.…

  • Ignaz Troxler (1780–1866): Swiss polymath, physician, philosopher, pedagogue and politician

    Jonathan DavidsonDurham, North Carolina, United States Ignaz Paul Vital Troxler (1780–1866) was an influential figure in Swiss medicine, philosophy, education, and politics, yet is scarcely mentioned in the English-speaking world. Even in Switzerland, this controversial and outspoken individual remains neglected. Brief Biographical Sketch and Events in Troxler’s Life1 Troxler was born in Beromünster in the…

  • Christian Sibelius: Finland’s first professor of psychiatry

    Jonathan DavidsonDurham, North Carolina, United States When the name Sibelius is mentioned, most people will think of the famous Finnish composer, Jean. Outside of Scandinavia, few will know that Jean’s younger brother, Christian, achieved distinction in a very different field: psychiatry. Even less well-known is the multi-generational presence of physicians in Christian’s family, starting with…

  • Herbert William Page and the railway spine controversy

    Jonathan DavidsonDurham, North Carolina, United States The first passenger railway journey resulted in the death of a prominent British politician.1 During the 1830s and 1840s,2 railway travel became a popular means of transport in Victorian Britain. By the 1850s, it was clear that this revolutionary advance in transportation also caused many injuries that resulted in…

  • The derailment of Franklin Pierce

    Jacob Appel New York, New York, United States Few subjects have attracted as much attention from medical historians, both well-founded and speculative, as the health of United States presidents. Considerable debate exists over the extent of impairment caused by Lincoln’s bouts of melancholia,1 Grant’s alcoholism,2 Wilson’s stroke,3 and Coolidge’s depression4—to name only those chief executives from…