Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Suicide in medical school

  • Chevalier Jackson, MD: Patient safety champion

    Alan Jay SchwartzPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Docents guide and educate the visitors at the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia while they view the vast array of exhibits. One exhibit in particular is valuable for its historical message. The Chevalier Jackson, MD, (1865–1958)… Read more

  • The tragedy of the Shah of Shahs

    The story of the last Shah began with his father, Reza Khan, a military commander who seized power in 1925 and established the Pahlavi dynasty. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ascended to the throne in 1941 during World War II; the British and Soviets forced… Read more

  • Greeneland revealed

    John BrooksCheshire, United Kingdom Whether or not bipolar disorder enhances artistic expression is a contentious topic.1 Graham Greene (1904–1991), a renowned twentieth-century author, believed that his illness was an essential part of the material of his novels.2 As a troubled teenager, he underwent psychoanalysis following… Read more

  • Early depictions of reconstructive surgery: The tubed pedicle flap

    Ariana ShaariRutgers, New Jersey, United States The history of head and neck reconstruction is as rich as it is complex. Reconstructive techniques in this domain are broadly categorized as local pedicle flaps, regional flaps, and free flaps.1 These methods trace their origin to ancient practices,… Read more

  • Helen Rosaline Ashton: Physician and author

    Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England Medicine has long been a fertile training ground for those who abandon their profession to become writers. Their number includes Anton Chekhov, William Somerset Maugham, John Keats, Mikhail Bulgakov, William Carlos Williams, and Arthur Conan Doyle. Helen Ashton has been largely forgotten… Read more

  • Belmont DeForest Bogart (1867–1934): Cardiac surgeon and father of a famous actor

    Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Bogart–Bacall syndrome (BBS)1,2 is a voice disorder caused by abuse or overuse of the vocal cords; people who speak or sing outside their normal vocal range can develop it. Symptoms are chiefly an unusually deep or rough voice, or dysphonia, and… Read more

  • The history of operating on the abdomen (laparotomy)

    For many centuries, “laparotomy” (derived from the Greek “lapara”, “flank or soft part”, and “tome”, “to cut”) was considered extremely dangerous and rarely attempted. There is a poorly documented report on Jacob Nufer, an Austrian or Swiss veterinarian or even pig farmer, who around the… Read more

  • Franz Boas (1858–1942): Titan of Anthropology

    Hailed as the “Father of American Anthropology”, Franz Boas was well ahead of his time in challenging prevailing racial theories and promoting an understanding of diverse human cultures. He influenced a generation of younger scholars who followed his way of thinking, greatly contributing to the… Read more

  • James Robinson: First anaesthetic in England

    JMS PearceHull, England The dramatic benefits of ether anesthesia spread astonishingly quickly from the New World to the Old.1-3 James Robinson (1813–1862), a Guy’s Hospital trained dental surgeon, practiced at 14 Gower Street. A few doors away lived Francis Boott, an American expatriate physician. The… Read more

  • Book review: Casanova and Enlightenment

    Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England The eighteenth-century polymath Casanova is best remembered today for his amorous adventures. Sadly, his considerable contributions in a variety of fields of learning are often forgotten. Giacomo Casanova was a linguist, soldier, clergyman, entrepreneur, mathematician, diplomat, and conman. He spent time… Read more

  • Remembering George

    Anthony PapagiannisThessaloniki, Greece It is early morning on New Year’s Eve, and as I am about to get up from a good night’s sleep, I remember George. There were three of us who had graduated together from the same high school class half a century… Read more

  • Book review: The Woman Who Revolutionised Nurses’ Training: The Life and Career of Rebecca Strong

    Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England When asked to name a famous nurse from the past, the most common name that rolls off people’s lips is nearly always Florence Nightingale. Sadly, many other pioneering nurses from yesteryear remain forgotten in spite of major contributions to their profession.… Read more