Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Spring 2016

  • Claudius: The Caesar never meant to be emperor

    Abigail Cline ApplerAugusta, Georgia, United States Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (10 BC – AD 54) was Roman emperor from AD 41 to 54. During his reign, he completed the Roman conquest of Britain, expanded construction projects across the Empire, and quelled numerous coups, one of which involved his own wife. Though considered the most…

  • Heartache and complicated grief

    Laurie Elise Gordon New York, New York, United States Because He Married A Succubus. Sveta Dorosheva, 2014. www.faithistorment.com Private Collection.   “To whom shall I tell this heartache?” – Old Russian song   Medicine is haunted by grief. In tense silences we may sense the specter. Grieving is a normal developmental process, but in some…

  • Medicine and dignity

    Richard TullyEdinburgh “The dignity of the human being” is a fairly commonplace phrase in various contexts. It is used often in pleas against, say, the dehumanizing conditions of slum culture, or in protests by Amnesty International against vicious prison environments. It was bandied about a good deal when ‘spare part’ surgery was first hitting the…

  • Let us all be well

    Michael Konik Los Angeles, California, USA   “We need a new heart at the heart of the system, one that is not cold and congested, a heart that is open and compassionate.” Diseases work insidiously, hiding out in hard-to-see places. A badly compromised body often looks normal on the outside, especially if the illness is…

  • Medical Autonomy and Vaccines: A Kantian Imperative

    Justin M Le Blanc Philadelphia, United States   Image courtesy of Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images [email protected] http://wellcomeimages.org In The Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, Kant seeks to establish a concept of duty based solely on reason. He believed that one must not just act in “accordance with duty . . .” but…

  • The boy with two dads

    David Thoele Chicago, Illinois, United States   Martin pictured with his two dads The first time I met Martin in my clinic, the 7-year-old seemed friendly, but shy.  He was a bit chubby, with dark, short-cropped hair, rounded fingernails, and blue-tinged skin. He was short for his age, with features of Down syndrome, which his…

  • Mist walkers

    Ethan Sellers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States   Seattle still slumbers under a blanket of mist at four in the morning, a suspension of droplets that seems to swallow sound, so I struggle to hear even my own footfalls during my morning run to work on the inpatient service. Though the run clears my mind and…

  • Elephant hide

    Ethan Sellers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States   Illustration by Emily Schumann “Let me tell you about the summer the circus came to town.” Mr. Stanton’s weathered face manages to wrinkle further as it breaks into an easy smile. I’m reminded of an old map folding along well-worn creases. I know I’m grinning back, a habit…

  • Why do Nigerians die?

    Joseph HundeyinLagos, Nigeria A mere glance at the question “Why do Nigerians die?” would lead one to think it is one of the simplest questions ever asked. But on a closer look, one would discover that the question is indeed a deep one with unending answers. It is natural for people to die. Even in…

  • Is there a united Hippocratic school?

    Adil Menon Chicago, Illinois, United States Jean-Baptiste-Raphael-Urbain Massard – Hippocrates refusing the gifts of Artaxerxes Public domain courtesy of/via Wikimedia Commons. Hippocrates once asserted that while “many admire, few know,” a truth that would come to cast a long shadow over his own legacy. Eager to connect themselves to a famous name, if not to the…