Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Louis XIV

  • 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…

  • Jean Mery, distinguished French surgeon

    Jean Mery lived largely in the days of the Sun-King Louis XIV, when France was still rich and powerful and had not yet spent itself into bankruptcy. Born in central France in 1645, he followed in his father’s footsteps at eighteen and went to Paris to become a surgeon. In Paris his life was largely…

  • The barber-surgeons: Their history over the centuries

    Anusha PillayRaipur, India “His pole, with pewter basins hung,Black, rotten teeth in order strung,Rang’d cups that in the window stood,Lin’d with red rags, to look like blood,Did well his threefold trade explain,Who shav’d, drew teeth, and breath’d a vein.”– The Goat without a Beard by John Gay Barbers today are primarily engaged in caring for…

  • Louis XIV and his ailments

    Introduction For over 300 years King Louis XIV has occupied a special place in the heart of every Frenchman. He brought glory to his country, extended its boundaries, and promoted the arts and letters so that French culture became second to none in Europe. For many decades his neighbors trembled at the sound of his…