Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Surgeon

  • John Abernethy: A controversial surgeon

    JMS PearceHull, England John Abernethy (1764–1831) was renowned more for his brilliant teaching than for his surgical skills, but as an eccentric and gifted communicator, he attracted many students and admirers.1 A stalwart of medical education, he was a founder of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital medical school. Yet, at times he was fractious, peevish, and prone…

  • Doctor, physician, leech, and surgeon: A history of names for medical practitioners

    Edward TaborBethesda, Maryland, United States Four English words have been used for centuries to refer to medical practitioners: “doctor,” “physician,” “leech,” and “surgeon.” Each of these has unique origins. “Doctor” comes from “docere” in Latin meaning “to teach”1; thus, calling someone a “doctor” is etymologically calling them “teacher.” “Physician” comes from “physis” in Greek, meaning…

  • Surgeon’s Sorrow

    Nayaab MalikAberdeen, Scotland Artist statement Captivated by the daily battles that healthcare staff face at work, I aimed to depict the varied emotions that doctors experience on a routine basis. Each of my three canvases represents a distinct aspect of a surgeon’s emotional voyage. The first displays a doctor that has had to deliver a…

  • Dr. Mary Edwards Walker: A trailblazer for female surgeons  

    Shabnam ParsaLeshya BokkaLiam ButchartStony Brook, New York, United States Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832–1919) was the first female surgeon in the United States—a pioneering educator, clinician, and medical innovator.1 Her academic path was paved by her parents’ dedication to education. Vesta and Alva Walker established the first free school in Oswego, New York, where they…

  • Erik Waller the book collector

    Anna LantzStockholm, Sweden Erik Waller (1875–1955) was a Swedish surgeon and book collector who spent most of his professional life in Lidköping, a small town in the southwest of Sweden. He received his medical education in Uppsala and Stockholm before moving to Lidköping in 1909, where he was offered a position as acting hospital doctor.…

  • The surgeon’s photograph of the Loch Ness monster

    Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden “Whatever is the truth, there is no denying that Nessie will continue to intrigue the world for years to come.”– Johnathan Bright, Oxford Internet Institute Loch Ness, at thirty-seven kilometers long and 230 meters deep at its deepest point, is the second largest lake in Scotland.1 Stories about a creature of great…

  • William Sands Cox—Surgeon and founder of the Birmingham Medical School

    Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, United Kingdom In the early nineteenth century Birmingham was the second largest city in England. It was an industrial powerhouse, known as the city of a thousand trades, but it did not have its own medical school. Those wishing to become doctors had to train in London. William Sands Cox was born…

  • Notes on a first abortion

    Henry Bair Stanford, California, United States The first time I saw a late-term abortion by dilation and evacuation, I was surprised that it was a fairly minor procedure. I was to observe the termination at twenty-three weeks of gestation as part of my obstetrics-gynecology rotation, and while the procedure can be performed in a clinic rather…

  • Thank you notes

    Margaret MitchellBoston, Massachusetts, United States I wrote thank you notes after matching in my residency program, though I found I was thankful for things I had not anticipated. I began working with Dr. Langerman in my first year of medical school, both in clinical settings and research. In his letter, I wrote, “Thank you for…

  • Book review: A Time for All Things: The Life of Michael E. DeBakey by Craig Miller

    Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, UK In the latter half of the twentieth century, Michael DeBakey was a worldwide household name, a remarkable feat for a surgeon in the days before the cult of celebrity had become part of the cultural zeitgeist. Craig Miller, himself a distinguished vascular surgeon and medical historian, has written a superb scholarly and…