Tag: Northwestern University
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Nicholas Senn, the great master of abdominal surgery
Nicholas Senn was a man with an extraordinary capacity for work, an innovator, always trying new methods, even new experiments that he first conducted on himself. Born in 1844 in St. Gaul, Switzerland, he came to America when he was eight years old. His family settled in Ashford, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, then at…
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Presentism
Jayant RadhakrishnanChicago, Illinois, United States The Oxford English Dictionary defines presentism as “uncritical adherence to present-day attitudes, especially the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values and concepts.” The term may have been used as far back as the 1870s and applies to acts, beliefs, and people that were acceptable or even…
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Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie: William James Mayo (1861–1938) and Charles Horace Mayo (1865–1939)
John RaffenspergerFort Meyers, Florida, United States The father of the Mayo brothers, William Worall Mayo, was born in a village near Manchester, England, in 1819. His father died when he was seven years old, but his mother managed to have him tutored in Latin and Greek, and later he took private lessons with James Dalton, a…
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Alice Hamilton: Physician and scientist of the dangerous trades
Anne JacobsonOak Park, Illinois, United States It is a gritty, frozen day in winter-weary Chicago, one that does little to inspire action; perhaps least of all a frigid walk around the salty, potholed neighborhood. In a month or two a lunchtime walk would be a welcome idea; university students will gather on park benches, and…
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Día de los Muertos ofrenda
Caley McIntyreChicago, Illinois, United StatesMexico Fulbright-Garcia Robles Alum “An ancient and cherished tradition throughout Mexico, Day of the Dead celebrates the return of the spirits of the deceased to the world of the living. Ofrendas—altars decorated with the pictures of the departed, golden marigolds and skulls—are built and gifts to the spirits are left for…