Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: skin condition

  • A confession from a patient of atopic dermatitis

    Yen-Hsiang WangTaipei, Taiwan I am one of the ten to twenty percent of people in the world with atopic dermatitis. Allergies to environmental factors such as dust mites and certain foods contribute to this condition. Immune function is also an important factor, as evidenced by immunoglobulin E (IgE) and increased eosinophilic leukocytes in the blood.…

  • Another look at the medical problems of Jean-Paul Marat: Searching for a unitary diagnosis

    Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) was a practicing physician, scientist, and a leader of the French Revolution. He also suffered from a chronic, intractable skin condition, which troubled the last five years of his life. A tormenting itch caused him to spend whole days1 in his custom-made bathtub, from which he wrote revolutionary articles…