Tag: Summer 2025
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Dr. George Finlayson and his mighty little squirrel
Stephen MartinThailand Part of running a museum in tropical Thailand is caring for distressed animals on the grounds. We have no choice, because the nearest wildlife rehabbers are in California. Sunshine drives life, so Thailand has a gloriously rich natural history. The museum’s animal patients range from skinks and turtles to Meissen the injured myna…
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How curious should we be?
Sam WoodworthPortland, Maine, United States Nearly a decade since graduating from medical school, some of the most enduring memories from that formative time are recollections of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City as a first-year medical student. Led by a young hospitalist, I attended weekly sessions with a group of other…
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Childhood cancer: Where my shadow fell
John Graham-PoleAntigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada In this essay, I reflect on my journey as a pediatric oncologist—from a time when childhood cancer was nearly always fatal to the gradual emergence of cures. Drawing on personal experiences with patients and their families, I examine the medical milestones, ethical complexities, and emotional burdens that shaped my career…
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Vienna’s Volksgarten: A floral historical haven
The Volksgarten, or “People’s Garden” is a public park known for its formal rose gardens, neoclassical elegance, and historical depth. Established in the early 19th century, it is one of Vienna’s most beloved green spaces, offering aesthetic pleasure and cultural enrichment. It was created on the site of fortifications destroyed by Napoleon’s troops in 1809.…
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The gardens of Versailles
The story of Versailles begins in the early 17th century when Louis XIII acquired a small hunting lodge surrounded by marshland and woods. However, it was his son, Louis XIV, who envisioned transforming this modest estate into a grand palace that would embody the glory of France and cement his position as the Sun King.…
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Potpourri Bolognese
Bologna is a frequent site for meetings by nephrologists. It is a lovely northern Italian city, easily accessible by air or by train. From the railway station, an easy walk under covered arcades takes the visitor to the center of town, to the San Petronio Cathedral, the two medieval towers, and to a modern shopping…
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Virgil and ancient anthrax
Matthew TurnerHershey, Pennsylvania, United StatesMichael LawsonSan Antonio, Texas, United States The ancient Roman poet Virgil (70–19 BC), widely considered by contemporaries and historians as the greatest of the Latin poets, is most well known today for the epic poem the Aeneid.1 Born to a rural family, Virgil often glorified the agrarian culture of the early…
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The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens
If you should ask a native for directions to the Botanical Gardens, you are likely to stand corrected that you are looking for the Botanic Gardens. Walking from the diminutive replica of the London’ Hyde Park, you pass the Church of England cathedral to which years ago all but a few misguided Irishman belonged as…
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Thomas Coram and the Foundling Hospital
Elizabeth SteinhartJMS PearceHull, England Nineteen years after good Captain Coram’s heart has been so touched by the exposure of children, living, dying, and dead, in his daily walks, one wing of the existing building was completed and admission given to the first score of little blanks [foundling children].—Charles Dickens, “Received, a Blank Child” in Household…
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The botanic gardens of Singapore
The Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a living testament to Singapore’s rich history and a vibrant hub for botanical research and conservation. Founded in 1859, they played a significant role in shaping the region’s economy and continues to be an important center for scientific knowledge and education. Historically, the Singapore Botanic…