Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Winter 2022

  • Science and medicine in Venice

    Historical background The history of the Venetian republic begins with the plunder of Rome in 410 AD by the Visigoths and the destruction of Aquileia in 452 AD by the Huns precipitating a flight to safety to the largely uninhabited islands of the Venetian lagoon. The refugees formed a republic that lasted more than one…

  • “For their own sakes”: The Edinburgh Seven, Surgeon’s Hall Riot, and the fate of English medical women

    Mariel TishmaChicago, Illinois, United States “There seems to be practically no doubt now that women are and will be doctors. The only question really remaining is, how thoroughly they are to be educated . . .”—Sophia Jex-Blake, Medical Women: Two Essays1 In 1860s Great Britain, few women could practice medicine. The first was Elizabeth Blackwell.…

  • Epidemic cholera and Joseph William Bazalgette

    JMS PearceHull, England, United Kingdom Rampant epidemics of cholera took many lives in the Victorian era. These epidemics were finally overcome with the discovery that cholera was a waterborne infection and by massive reconstruction of the sewers. Sir Joseph William Bazalgette (1819-1891) (Fig 1), known as the “Sewer King,”1 was born in Enfield, London. His…

  • Lebanon: A thumbprint in medicine

    Jonathan MinaBeirut, Lebanon Lebanon is a country that has long developed and exported physicians and other leaders in healthcare for the world. The contribution of Lebanese physicians to medicine include the discovery of diseases and treatments, the advancement of medical practice, and the invention of new techniques. Crigler-Najjar syndrome was discovered by a Lebanese pediatrician…