Tag: Oxford
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John Arbuthnot: physician, wit, and creator of John Bull
JMS Pearce Hull, England, United Kingdom Fig 1. Portrait of Arbuthnot on reprint of John Bull In the light of recent British parliamentary chaos, by chance I discovered this irresistible quotation: “All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies” -John Arbuthnot At a time when in most westernized countries physicians and…
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Wilder Penfield
JMS Pearce Hull, England, United Kingdom Fig 1. Wilder Penfield, Stamp Wilder Penfield was not only a great surgeon and a great scientist, he was an even greater human being. -Sir George Pickering, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University Wilder Penfield (1891-1976) (Fig. 1) was the most gifted pioneer of Canadian neurosurgery.…
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An emperor unclothed: the virtuous Osler
Patrick Fiddes Paul A. Komesaroff Melbourne, Australia William Osler at Oxford. Apart from Hippocrates himself, William Osler was among the most praised physicians of all time. Like his Greek forerunner, Osler amassed a huge following of loyal supporters, for whom he could evidently do no wrong. One went so far as to suggest that…
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Smallpox inoculation: prelude to vaccination
Art Boylston Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom Fig. 1: James Jurin secretary of the Royal Society. Courtesy of the Royal Society Inoculation for smallpox, now known as variolation, consisted of placing a small amount of fluid from a smallpox pustule into the skin. It was introduced into England and colonial Boston in 1721 following reports…