Tag: Philip Liebson
-
Did Ernest Hemingway have the Celtic curse?
Philip R. LiebsonChicago, Illinois, United States Considering Ernest Hemingway’s mishaps before he died in 1961 by a self-inflicted shotgun wound, it is surprising that he lived so long. He survived two plane crashes several days apart that left him with a concussion, burns, cracked ribs and vertebrae, and ruptures of the liver, spleen, and kidneys.…
-
The death of James Abram Garfield
Philip LiebsonChicago, Illinois, United States The medical treatment of some US presidents and ex-presidents has been controversial. One example is George Washington, who in 1799 at age sixty-seven suffered from an acute throat ailment that was treated by his physicians with molasses, vinegar, and butter gargles; inhaled vinegar and hot water; and a throat salve…
-
John Caius, the polymath who described the sweating sickness
Philip LiebsonChicago, Illinois, United States Imagine being a physician in a rural community in England in the mid-sixteenth century, always concerned with the reappearance of the Black Death. Late one summer you are faced with a new strange illness. It begins with cold shivers, headaches, and severe diffuse pains leading to exhaustion, and within a…
-
Philosophy of science and medicine series — IV: Alexandrian period
Philip LiebsonChicago, Illinois, United States The Alexandrian tradition was first manifested in the Royal Museum in Alexandria, established by the Ptolomies who ruled over Egypt at that time. The museum contained the royal library, one of the largest and most significant resources of the ancient world. Established in the third century BC, it functioned as…
-
Philosophy of science and medicine X: Aristotle to the early 20th Century
Philip LiebsonChicago, Illinois, United States What is natural law? There are certain values in human nature that can be understood through human reason. This implies the use of reason to evaluate binding rules of moral behavior. Inherent in the use of reason, from the Greek philosophers onward, at least in Western Civilization, is the use…