Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Rome

  • “Rich man, poor man”: A history of lead poisoning

    Mariel Tishma Chicago, Illinois, United States Comfort in the Gout. Thomas Rowlandson. 1802. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The history of lead poisoning is the history of human industry. For unmarked time, lead has been around causing abdominal pain, constipation, nausea, and irritability, as well as conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, reduced fertility, and…

  • A changing view of death

    Amber Mills Anthea Gellie Michele Levinson Malvern, Australia   Roman mosaic depicting fight between two gladiators, 4th century National Archaeological Museum, Madrid, Spain We sit at a phase in human development when life expectancy is greater than ever before. In classical Rome life expectancy was a mere 28 years for an adult, in Medieval Britain it…