Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: pancreatic cancer

  • Two medical pioneers named Whipple

    Two medical pioneers, both sharing the surname Whipple but not related to one another and working in distinct fields of medicine, made a lasting impact on the treatment of two diseases that in their time were universally fatal. Dr. George Hoyt Whipple (1878–1976) was a physician, pathologist, and medical researcher whose work revolutionized the treatment…

  • Romantique

    Jonathan B. FerriniLa Jolla, California, United States “I live in a world of spring showers of acrylic and watercolor droplets painting the score on the pavement of a Chopin nocturne.” These were the last words my brother Marshal spoke to me ten years ago at our dad’s funeral. I welcomed the opportunity to see him…

  • The dying room

    Gregory O’GaraNew Jersey, United States The first Sunday in December was a typical winter day; cold but clear, leafless trees, overcast sky. It was the kind of morning I dreaded as a child, having to get out of bed and go to the 11am mass at St. Margaret’s, no time to relax and watch a…

  • Hunger—Thin

    Mark King Hunger I want Hollow Vacuum Sucking in parchment over yellowed ribs Lungs clutching at thin air Like a crone’s wizened claw I want Not like infatuation Nor envy, nor greed More like desperation But without the passion I want urgently But with resignation I turn my eyes up to plead And to submit…