Tag: Summer 2018
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Jan Steen: quack doctors visit lovesick maidens
Like his contemporary Molière, the Dutchman Jan Steen makes fun of quack doctors, often shown in ridiculous costumes visiting young love-sick or pregnant women. In the Lovesick Maiden (Fig.1, Metropolitan Museum) the diagnosis is suggested by the painting of a Cupid above the door, the bed on the right, and the bed-warmer on the lower…
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The arrival of the black horse
Kevin R. Loughlin Boston, Massachusetts, United States Four horsemen of Apocalypse (1887) by Viktor Vasnetsov When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something…
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Anatomy plates: More shocking than useful
Jacques Fabien Gautier D’Agoty (1716–1785) was born in Marseilles and learned color printing in Frankfurt while working for Jacob Christoph Le Blond, the man who had invented this process. Perhaps anticipating his later conduct, D’Agoty claimed after Le Blond’s death to have made this invention himself. Moving to Paris in 1736, he had the idea…
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Not just a fad diet
Jessica A. Ness Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States “You just ate chocolate cake.” Photo by Jessica A. Ness Gluten is the new answer to all that is wrong with what people are eating. You want to lose weight? Go gluten free. You cannot sleep, have frequent stomach aches, or want to rule the world?…
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Mushrooms
Agata Brewer Crawfordsville, Indiana, United States A bored teenage Santa holds two small girls on his lap. One is dressed as a queen in a yellow handmade crown and crape-paper cape. The other girl is the author, dressed as a poisonous mushroom. The cheerful-looking costume hides the truth of a mushroom that releases a…
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A CV for posterity
Anthony Papagiannis Thessaloniki, Greece Lonely tree with timber by Anthony Papagiannis The British Medical Journal (BMJ) is one of the oldest and most eminent general medical journals. Among its many and varied features is a regular obituaries page. Departed members of all branches of the medical profession, academic teachers, researchers and Nobel Prize winners,…
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The art of not eating
Ammar SaadOttawa, Ontario, Canada Fasting has been considered a devoted act of worship for centuries.1 It unifies people of different languages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status in many world religions. Intentionally silencing the human instinct for food and drink may be considered masochism or futile asceticism by some, but for millions around the world, it represents the…
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Medicinal and historical value of Chinese food therapy
Kelly Chen Birmingham, Alabama, USA In front of a screen sits a patient who is suffering from vomiting brought on by eating mutually antagonistic foods. A doctor, seated on the left, is explaining to the patient about food incompatibilities. Ming period (1368-1644) Persimmon: cold, sweet, astringent. It opens up the nose and the qi…
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Saint Elisabeth, a saintly nurse
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary bringing food for the inmates of a hospital. Wellcome Collection. CC BY-NC 4.0. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Colored engraving by W. Langhammer. Wellcome Collection. Public domain. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231) is one of the most loved saints of the Middle Ages. Also called St. Elisabeth of Thuringia, she is the patron…
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Art therapy: a historical perspective
Mirjana Stojkovic-IvkovicBelgrade, Serbia Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the creation of art to help resolve psychopathological conflicts. It helps people to identify psychological weaknesses and see problems from a different perspective, enabling them to escape from repetitive self-destructive behavior. Art therapy improves personality, self-image, and self-acceptance, resulting in an improved quality…