Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: The psychological impact of facial injury in the First World War: outcomes from the Queen’s Hospital Sidcup

  • The Bancroft doctors: Edward, Daniel, and Nathaniel

    Jonathan DavidsonDurham, North Carolina, United States Quercitin is a flavonoid compound derived from quercitron, found in many plants and vegetables. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other effects and has possible therapeutic value.1 Quercitin not only has medicinal properties, but for almost 100 years was the… Read more

  • Rene Favaloro—Father of cardiac bypass surgery

    Arpan K. BanerjeeSolihull, England Over the last century, there have been many important contributions to medicine made by Argentinians. Of these Rene Geronimo Favaloro’s must surely be of the greatest, and his work on cardiac bypass surgery has saved countless of lives. Born of Sicilian… Read more

  • Notable achievements by people who have lost an upper limb

    Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Working for the last fifty years in rehabilitation medicine and playing the drums in two jazz bands, I have always looked for stories of people who, in spite of chronic illness or disability, have accomplished much in art, music, politics, or… Read more

  • Carl Linnaeus—The young botanist, natural scientist, and physician

    Göran WettrellLund, Sweden Carolus Linnaeus, ennobled Carl von Linné in 1761, is one of the great sons of Sweden. At an early age, he demonstrated an interest in nature and plants. His lifelong passion was the ordering and classification of plants, animals, minerals, and diseases.… Read more

  • Dialysis

    Saher LalaniToronto, Canada for Bapu He is eighty and on dialysis.Bound to machines andfrequents the hospital. He gasps while coughing.All I can do is give himwater and some tissue. He wipes his mouth, seatedupright, resting in a chair.Then, silence ensues. He points to the table.Remember… Read more

  • “Get well soon”: Rapid recovery in two children’s novels

    Emily BoyleDublin, Ireland The sudden recovery of paralyzed patients is as thrilling as it is unlikely and has often been memorably portrayed in books and film. Some paralysis, such as occurs after spinal cord injury, is permanent. However, gradual physiologic recovery from a paralyzing condition… Read more

  • Herophilus, the true father of anatomy?

    Philip LiebsonChicago, Illinois, United States Although Andreas Vesalius has been considered the modern father of anatomy, long before his time there lived a Greek anatomist and physician, Herophilus (?335–255 BC), who was accused of human vivisection. He may be the true father of anatomy because… Read more

  • From “punch drunk” to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

    James L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States At a critical moment in the second act of Terrance Blanchard’s opera Champion, based on the life of the boxer Emile Alphonse Griffith, Emile’s trainer Howie Albert asks the fighter, whose boxing career is in a steep decline, if… Read more

  • William P. Murphy Jr., MD: Physician-inventor

    Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden “…An unqualified success.”– Dr. Murphy on the testing of blood bags during the Korean War It is perhaps no coincidence that the son of the physician who revolutionized the treatment of pernicious anemia should likewise have been an inventor. By the time… Read more

  • A migrant worker’s journey to becoming a brain surgeon

    Saahas KumbamuSt. Johns, Florida, United States A year ago my parents gifted me Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon,the autobiography of Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, co-written by Mim Eichler Rivas. The book chronicles the remarkable journey of Dr. Q from… Read more

  • Measles again

    JMS PearceHull, England “Measles is tearing through the UK, spooking health chiefs and parents alike.”– Daily Mail, 25 Jan 2024 Measles is notoriously infectious. Ninety percent of people exposed to an infected person will contract the disease. In many countries, because of misguided anti-vaccine activists,… Read more

  • The musical and medical journey of Jean Sibelius

    Michael YafiChaden YafiHouston, Texas, United States The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers, was known for his ability to capture the stark beauty of his country’s landscapes through his unique, austere musical style. Born into a family with diverse… Read more