Tag: Višegrad
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The hippopotamus in science and medicine
The broad-backed hippopotamusRests on his belly in the mud;Although he seems so firm to usHe is merely flesh and blood. Flesh-and-blood is weak and frail,Susceptible to nervous shock […]—TS Eliot, “The Hippopotamus” When a patient once asked me whether hippopotami ever suffer from high blood… Read more
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Wheeled chairs throughout the ages
Mitchell BataviaNew York, New York, United States Wheeled chairs, which have enabled people with disabilities, injuries, and illnesses to engage more fully in society, have a long and somewhat imprecise history, spanning an evolution from wheelless vehicles such as litters to multi-wheeled mobile structures.1-3 Evidence… Read more
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Pulling up a chair: The past and future of the patient-physician relationship
Neal ChanBoston, Massachusetts, United States Pulling up a chair On my fourth year Cardiology rotation, I cared for an elderly patient with atrial fibrillation and worsening heart failure. On rounds, a plan was made to attempt cardioversion and pursue rhythm control of his atrial fibrillation… Read more
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“Fart Proudly”: Benjamin Franklin’s “Prize Question” of 1781
James L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States One has no difficulty imagining that flatulence, flatus, or farting might have been a source of humor long before receiving any mention in the historical record. An early example of such humor appears in cuneiform writing of the Sumerians… Read more
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The Popes and the Black Death in Avignon
Avignon in southeastern France stands as one of Europe’s most historically significant cities, commonly remembered as the seat of the Catholic papacy during the 14th century and for its famous bridge immortalized in song. It was a time of conflict and unstable conditions in Italy… Read more
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Turmeric: The golden spice
Ashutosh GuptaChicago, Illinois, United States Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a flowering plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It belongs to the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Turmeric is called haldi in the Hindi language and is derived from a Sanskrit word, haridra, meaning “one… Read more
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Enrique IV of Castile, The Impotent
Nicolas RoblesBadajoz, Spain Enrique IV was born on January 5, 1425, in Valladolid, Spain. He was the son of John II of Castile and Maria of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand I of Aragon. When John II died on 20 July 1454, Enrique was proclaimed… Read more
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Sri Lanka, a pearl of the Indian Ocean
Sri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean just south of the Indian subcontinent. Once called Ceylon, its history spans over 2,500 years, beginning with the arrival of Prince Vijaya from India in the sixth century BCE. In the third century BCE, the… Read more
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Born with a caul: Fact and fiction
James L. FranklinChicago, Illinois, United States In the opening paragraphs of Charles Dickens’ 1850 novel David Copperfield, the titular narrator David Copperfield informs us that he was “born with a caul.” He relates further that the caul was advertised in the newspapers at the “low… Read more
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The British Army and disease in Kipling’s “Cholera Camp”
Cristóbal S. Berry-CabánFort Bragg, North Carolina, United States Rudyard Kipling’s writing is inseparable from the British Empire in India, offering a vivid examination at how imperial power, military life, and disease collided. Among the many diseases that plagued the region, cholera was especially terrifying. Kipling’s “Cholera Camp”… Read more