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

  • A WWII artist remembered

    Luciano FiumeCanzo, Italy When Hitler launched his invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, he prevailed on his ally Benito Mussolini to contribute soldiers to sustain his war effort. Three Italian divisions were sent initially and two more in 1942, integrated into the German army… Read more

  • Your worst experience with a physician

    Matthew WootenHouston, Texas, United States As a second-year medical student, I was supposed to interview patients and physicians about their experiences. Specifically, I was supposed to help find ways for physicians to develop better relationships with their patients. When trying to find patients to interview, I… Read more

  • Dr. Thomas Barnardo

    Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel The title of a short 1904 note in the journal Hospital was “Dr. Barnardo’s Homes.”1,2 Thomas John Barnardo (1845–1905) was described as “evangelical, entrepreneurial and philanthropic.”3 He helped vast numbers of children living in homelessness and poverty. Barnardo was born in Dublin,… Read more

  • Tytus Chałubiński (1820–1889)

    Avi OhryTel Aviv, Israel Tytus Chałubiński was a distinguished Polish physician, naturalist, botanist, educator, and philosopher. He was born in Radom, a town south of Warsaw where a high school and a hospital are named after him. From 1838 to 1840, Chałubiński studied medicine at… Read more

  • Eugenics in Chicago, 1915: Harry Haiselden, M.D., and The Black Stork

    Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden In the first decades of the twentieth century, the idea of eugenics took root in Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Great Britain, and the US. Anthropologists, geneticists, physicians, and politicians informed the public about eugenics and influenced policy and law. Eugenics, from the Greek… Read more

  • Ancient “achoo”: The photic sneeze response in Greek mythology

    Saty Satya-MurtiSanta Maria, California, United States Sneezing, or “sternutation,” has deep roots in mythology and culture. Often associated with life and health but also with death, various cultures have considered sneezing a good or bad omen. Blessing the sneezer with a long life after they… Read more

  • Of vermicide and vermifuge: A history of intestinal parasites at sea

    Richard de GrijsSydney, Australia When the UK’s National Archives launched the Surgeons at Sea project,1 many media outlets focused on one outlandish claim from the curators’ summary of highlights. In June 1825, twelve-year-old Ellen McCarthy was on board the Elizabeth from Cork (Ireland) to Quebec… Read more

  • Plato’s and Bacon’s views on the role of medical care for chronic diseases

    (Abstracted from the essay on Francis Bacon by Lord Macaulay) “To Plato, the science of medicine appeared to be of very disputable advantages. He did not indeed object to quick cures for acute disorders, or for injuries produced by accidents. But the art which resists… Read more

  • A note on early microscopes

    JMS PearceHull, England Letters, however small and dim, are comparatively large and distinct when seen through a glass globe filled with water.1Seneca (c. 4 BC – AD 65) The Dutch spectacle maker Zacharias Janssen (1585–c. 1632) and his father Hans are thought to have made… Read more

  • From candles and swallowing swords to gastroscopy

    George DuneaJames L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States In 1806, Philipp Bozzini of Mainz invented an instrument designed to explore the interior of the human body that he called the “Lichtleiter” (light conductor). It had a candle or an oil lamp as a source of light,… Read more

  • The bicycle and the gene pool

    Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden “The most important event in recent human evolution was the invention of the bicycle.”1– Steve Jones, biologist The invention of a safe, reliable, and relatively cheap bicycle occurred at the end of the nineteenth century. Called a “hugely disruptive technology,” the bicycle… Read more

  • Fashion-based medicine: A history of Western doctors’ dress

    Shefali SoodWashington, DC, United States How do doctors dress? It depends on whom and when you ask. Just like other forms of clothing, the history of medical garb has been subject to the trends of time. While this has changed drastically in the past century,… Read more