Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Personal Narrative

  • The scorn of slow stitches

    Anthony GulottaBethesda, Maryland, United States As a third-year medical student on my first surgery rotation, I had been standing consecutively for almost three hours. Until now, I had stood silent, watching as the attending surgeon excised a gangrenous gallbladder. Then, my focus was rapidly disrupted. “Over here!” bellowed the surgeon. I was being called to suture for the very…

  • What is the point?

    Aariya Srinivasan Chennai, India   The author (right) performing a procedure. I am yet another young doctor struggling to find a place and purpose in this world. When I was in medical school, all I could ever think about was how to get through the next exam. Most of us do. We sit for days…

  • Life and death of a dog

    Hugh Tunstall-Pedoe  Dundee, Scotland   Photograph of Petra, courtesy of the author.   We learn from the life and death of family pets, a microcosm of our own existence. We nurtured Petra, a guide-dog puppy, in our family home for more than a year, after which we handed her over for her formal training. She was…

  • Regalia

    Nancy L. Hagood Charleston, South Carolina, United States   Rainbow over Haiti. Photo by Thomas Johnston. My medical school graduation regalia has hung in my closet for two years. It will never be worn. In spring 2019, I was a fourth-year medical student, planning to graduate in May and move 500 miles north to work…