Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: ophthalmoscope

  • Thomas Young MD FRS (1773-1829): “The Last Man Who Knew Everything.”

    JMS PearceEast Yorks, UK It is impossible to place precisely Thomas Young (Fig 1) into any professional class. He was both physician and scientist, renowned for an astonishing range of theories and discoveries in optics, physics, physiology, hieroglyphics, and medicine. His sundry contributions were profound, original, and ingenious; he has with good reason been likened…

  • Improving the ophthalmoscope

    Christian Georg Theodor Ruete (1810-1867) studied in Göttingen, Germany, and became full professor there in 1846 and in Leipzig from 1852 to 1867. He conducted extensive research on eye disorders and made modifications to the ophthalmoscope that Hermann von Helmholtz had invented in 1851, adding a concave focusing mirror that allowed a better view of…

  • Wilson’s disease on television

    Michelle MuscatMsida, Malta The television series Scrubs, created by Bill Lawrence, is a popular medical comedy that follows the hospital adventures of the main protagonist Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian (Zach Braff) as well as other hospital staff employed at Sacred Heart. The TV series spans numerous seasons and hence features several episodes introducing medical conditions.…