Tag: Summer 2023
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Thomas Dover, physician and entrepreneur (1660–1742)
Oh, Dover was a pirate and he sailed the Spanish Main A hacking cough convulsed him and he had agonizing pain. So he mixed himself a powder, which he liked more and more. Ipecac and opium and K2SO4 1 Dover Powder, U.S.P., 1920. Produced by and gift of Parke, Davis and Company. National Museum…
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Down’s syndrome
JMS Pearce Hull, England Fig 1. A patient at Earlswood photographed by Langdon Down. Via Alchetron. Amongst the residents he attended at Earlswood Asylum for Idiots in Redhill, Surrey, John Langdon Down in 1865 began to use an anthropological classification. He identified a group of patients who were mentally delayed and showed a remarkably similar,…
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Book review: Life Unseen: A Story of Blindness
Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, United Kingdom In her new book, Selina Mills, an award-winning journalist who is legally blind, takes us on a journey through the cultural history of visual impairment and blindness. It is both informative and empowering, weaving together research and the author’s personal experience. Throughout time, loss of sight has been associated with…
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What can the candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa) do?
Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden “[N]o one has stepped forward to observe the candiru’s life cycle in situ.”– William Burroughs, Naked Lunch Humans, like other animals, are subject to infections, infestations, colonization, and invasion by a wide variety of organisms. We are preyed on by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoans, worms, and insects. We may be eaten by…
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Piero della Francesca and Paul Klee (and cancer)
Scott SikkemaChicago, Illinois, United States “Man’s ability to measure the spiritual, earthbound and cosmic, set against his physical helplessness; this is his fundamental tragedy. The tragedy of spirituality. The consequence of this simultaneous helplessness of the body and mobility of the spirit is the dichotomy of human existence.”– Paul Klee (The Notebooks of Paul Klee)…
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Justus von Liebig (1803–1873)
Philip LiebsonChicago, Illinois, United States An extraordinary chemist, Justus von Liebig influenced the development of organic chemistry, scientific teaching of chemistry, and the application of chemistry to physiology and agriculture. He was one of the forerunners of the German educators who influenced the evolution to the outstanding scientific and educational standards of the late nineteenth…
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Marfan syndrome and Abraham Lincoln
Umut AkovaAtlanta, Georgia, United States Marfan syndrome is a rare, inherited genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissues. People with Marfan syndrome often have distinctive physical features such as tall stature, long limbs, joint hypermobility, and a narrow face. The condition is primarily caused by mutations in the FBN1 gene, which is located on…
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The interplay of spirituality and traditional medicine in Indonesia
Shabrina JarrellCharleston, West Virginia, United States In the cultural fabric of Indonesia, spiritual healing has thrived for centuries. The practice of spiritual and traditional healing remains relevant alongside modern medical advances. The contrast and interplay of traditional wisdom and contemporary influences is particularly apparent in a nation characterized by rich cultural diversity. While interest in…
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I’m listening
Tulsi PatelChicago, Illinois, United States To the gentle whispers of the summer breeze,The carpenter ants’ chatter in the trees,A firefly’s luminous flash in the night,A saguaro’s water, still and quiet.The ocean’s froth, a fierce collision.Then, hoarse vocal cords, a trach’d admission,Eyes’ wells fill, glistening and bright,LVADs’ hum, a steady pump’s right. I listen close till…
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Friedrich Wöhler (1800–1882)
When the proteins of the human body are broken down to their constituent amino acids, they are converted to ammonia (NH3), which, being toxic, is metabolized in the liver to urea. As the main nitrogenous end product of proteins, urea is found mainly in the blood, but to some extent also in bile, milk, and…