Journal of Medical Biography最新文献

Idris Bitlisi was an historian and statesman of Kurdish and Iranian descent in the Ottoman Empire. This article introduces the influence of Bitlisi work on the historiography in the territory of the Ottoman Empire. Bitlisi was commissioned to write the history of the Ottoman family from the reign of Osman (1310 AD) to Bayazid II (1502 AD) which was entitled Hasht Bihisht (Eight Heavens) and was written in Persian. This era is considered the Golden Period in Ottoman historiography. By creating this work, Bitlisi transferred the methods of Iranian writing of history to the Anatolian regions. In all his works, the Persian language and literature and the crystallization of Iranian culture and civilization can be seen. Bitlisi's writings, especially Hasht Bihisht, can be seen as a more explicit statement of the political and cultural situation of the Ottoman sultans and their interest in history.

IntroductionIn 1744, the English physician Thomas Reeve ('T.R.', b.1700-1780) published two proposals for controlled trials of tar water treatment, a 'universal' medication promoted by Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753).MethodsQualitative analysis of historical medical texts.ResultsIn his 'defence of physick', Reeve questions Berkeley's clinical evidence and calls for a 'fair experiment' with a 'competent number' of patients (i.e. 20), half of whom should receive tar water. Participants should be 'of the same Age, Sex, Constitution and Country, of the same way of living, and of the same Temperament'. Treatment must be 'at the same Time and Place', circumstances employed in Lind's 1747 scurvy trial. Reeve also proposes a simple two-patient trial to compare smallpox treatment with and without tar water.DiscussionIt is tempting to see Reeve's proposals as an influence upon James Lind's 1747 scurvy trial. Evidence that could support this lies in Lind's consideration of both tar water and Berkeley's book within his 1753 treatise on scurvy. Likewise, Reeve's call to keep a 'faithful register' of clinical outcomes offers a possible link with Hauksbee the Younger's 1743 proposal for an 'experimentum crucis' of treatments for venereal disease. The contribution of Thomas Reeve to the development of controlled trials (including the 'morality' of withholding effective treatment) deserves greater recognition.

Heinrich Stilling, the third son of the German anatomist Benedict Stilling (1810-1879), received his medical doctorate from the Georg-August-Universität of Göttingen in 1876 under Franz König (1832-1910). After several periods of training in Kiel with Johannes von Esmarch (1823-1908) and in Strassburg with Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen (1833-1910) and Adolf Kussmaul (1822-1902), in 1890 Stilling became the first chair of Pathological Anatomy, General Pathology and Bacteriology at the newly founded medical school in Lausanne. In 1891, he founded there the Institute of Pathological Anatomy, which he directed until his death in 1911. Although he made numerous important contributions to the scientific literature on pathological anatomy, his main scientific interest was the study of the adrenal glands. In this field, he made significant contributions to the histology and physiology of the gland in various animal species. He first demonstrated the compensatory hypertrophy of adrenals after extirpation of the glands. Furthermore, he first coined the name 'chromophile' for the cells brown stained by potassium dichromate. Unfortunately, these achievements are not always adequately remembered in current literature.

Allen Kanavel possessed a protean skill set, excelling as an anatomist, clinical surgeon, surgical leader, surgical educator and surgical investigator. His investigations led to the foundation of a new surgical specialty, that of surgery of the hand. Additionally, he was a prolific author (>80 scientific articles, seven editions of his textbook Infections of the Hand). He also served as Chairman of Surgery at Northwestern University, President of the American College of Surgeons, of which he was a founding member, and he was also a charter member of the Society of Neurological Surgeons. In addition, he was a kind and humble person, and a devoted husband and father.

Sir Arthur William Mickle Ellis (1883-1966) was born, raised and educated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He had a distinguished medical career in North America and Europe which spanned important developments in medical research and education and culminated in appointment as Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University. He was a resident physician at the newly created Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute before the start of World War I. Serving with the Canadian Army Medical Corps in England, and responsible for the care of soldiers taken sick with highly virulent cerebrospinal meningitis, Ellis attempted an ambitious therapy and undertook laboratory investigations that impacted management of the disease directly. After the war, he became the Director of the Medical Unit and the first Professor of Medicine in the University of London at the London Hospital, and subsequently Regius Professor of Medicine in Oxford in World War II. As a research-driven academic physician, the career of Sir Arthur Ellis was influenced profoundly by Sir William Osler (1849-1919), the first Canadian to hold the position of Regius Professor in Oxford.

IntroductionLord Francis Bacon's (1561-1626) was fascinated by the phenomenon of 'putrefaction', which he saw in 'moulds' on food, 'mosse…of the Earth, and Trees' and the process of disease in living creatures. By observing the development of mould, Bacon deduced that certain 'aires' and 'seats' (places) were more healthy than others.AimTo interpret Bacon's ideas about putrefaction.MethodQualitative examination of Bacon's texts, especially 'Sylva Sylvarum'.ResultsBacon proposes comparing the speed of putrefaction between pieces of 'raw flesh' of the 'same Kinde and Bignesse' in different settings: 'within Doores' and 'abroad [outside]' as well as 'some height above the Earth' and 'upon the Flat [i.e. surface] of the Earth'. Thus, Bacon sought to identify more healthy 'seats of dwelling' …'for [residential] Lodges, and Retiring Places for Health'.ConclusionBacon's experiments represent early landmarks in two fields of medical research: evidence-based public health measures to improve housing and (by calculating 'post-mortem interval') forensic pathology. These contributions appear to have been overlooked, despite informing Sir John Pringle's 1752 treatise on military medicine. Bacon called for 'new learning' and his forensic approach highlights a need to engender the 'medical detective' in modern students of medicine.

This article examines the life and career of Mustafa Adil (1871-1904), a pioneering Ottoman veterinary physician, bacteriologist, and educator whose contributions significantly shaped the modernisation of public health and veterinary science in the late Ottoman Empire. Educated at the Alfort School of Veterinary Medicine in France, Adil played a leading role in developing diphtheria serotherapy and collaborated extensively with Maurice Nicolle on research into rinderpest, malaria, and the vaccinia virus. His laboratory achievements, combined with his leadership roles at the Imperial Veterinary Bacteriology Institute and the Civil Veterinary School, positioned him at the forefront of the professionalisation of veterinary medicine in the Empire. By tracing Adil's education, scientific work, and institutional influence, this study highlights his pivotal yet largely overlooked role in the transnational circulation of medical knowledge between Europe and the Ottoman world.

On 10 June 1600, Robert Auchmutie, a freeman of the Incorporation of Surgeons and Barbers of Edinburgh since 1591, was beheaded by the 'Maiden' on Edinburgh's Royal Mile; convicted of the slaughter of James Wauchope in a duel fought on 20th April. His very definitive end, the only known execution of a member of what is now the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, was itself the result of a much broader evolution of societal and legal factors. The changing attitudes towards 'trial by combat' in Scottish law and society across centuries, and the attitude of King James VI, directly combined to condemn him when he attempted to take a modern approach to an ancient judicial privilege afforded to the nobility. His case forms both a legal and social microcosm of the collision between old and new, and his execution was intended to serve as a cautionary act, undertaken as much to deter others from attempting the same as to minister justice. The lengths gone to by both Robert Auchmutie and the judiciary of his time, to evade and minister justice, respectively, had a major impact on Scottish law and society for centuries thereafter.

Dr William Reginald Morse, a Canadian physician, anatomist, and physical anthropologist, was a central figure in advancing medical education and anthropological research in Western China during the early twentieth century. As a medical missionary, he co-founded West China Union University, the first modern medical school in the region, where he served as dean and professor of anatomy for many years. Beyond his educational contributions, Morse established the West China Border Research Society, which focused on studying the region's politics, cultures, customs, and environment. As the Society's inaugural president, he championed interdisciplinary research in an area previously underexplored by Western scholars. Collaborating closely with Harvard University's Hooton Laboratory, Morse conducted extensive anthropological fieldwork in the borderlands, collecting valuable data on the diverse populations of the region. The renowned anthropologist D. C. Graham praised Morse as a trailblazer in the study of the West China frontier and a leading figure in physical anthropology, Chinese medicine, and medical education. Morse's endeavors not only deepened the understanding of Western China's unique cultural and social landscape but also positioned him as a pioneer at the intersection of medicine and anthropology.