Journal of Medical Biography最新文献

Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was one of the most impactful United States political figures of the early and mid-nineteenth century. He served in Congress and as the Secretary of State for three Presidents. He died in October of 1852 and his autopsy appeared in the medical literature. Historians have reported that his cause of death was either related to a traumatic head injury he sustained in May of 1852 or from complications of alcoholic cirrhosis. In this manuscript, we will review Webster's medical history and autopsy to determine his cause of death.

The famous French scientist, Emile Roux, was previously discovered to have been secretly married to an English woman, Rose Anna Shedlock, one of the first women medical school students in Britain and Europe. Emile and Rose most likely met while in medical school in Paris, although for very different reasons, neither graduated. It was previously suggested that Rose left medical school after only a few years, although we present new evidence that that she was still a medical student four years later when she would have been near completion. Regardless, Rose moved back to England prior to taking her qualifying exams, where we found she lived at a girl's boarding school where one of her sisters was head mistress. In the following year, Emile travelled to London where he and Rose were married in a quiet civil ceremony. Soon after the wedding, Emile returned to Paris where he began working as an assistant to Louis Pasteur. In a tragic twist of fate, Rose died a year later in Madeira, which we have now noted was within days of when Emile performed his breakthrough experiments that led to the creation of vaccines in the laboratory.

The work of the serial killers William Burke and William Hare, immigrant Ulstermen who came to Scotland in 1818, is well known. When they were finally caught, having murdered 16 people and sold their bodies for dissection, Hare turned King's evidence and after a dramatic trial Burke was hanged in January 1829. The notoriety of the case resulted in a crowd for Burke's public execution that is generally regarded as the largest that ever assembled in Edinburgh for a hanging, being estimated at between 25,000 and 35,000 people. A contemporary journal kept by a medical student named Thomas Hume was recently acquired by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. It contains new information regarding a contingent of immigrant Irishmen who were present at the hanging. In the lead-up to the execution, they took up a position in front of the gallows and tried to prevent any non-Irish from approaching the area immediately in front of the gallows, a futile aim given the huge, rapidly accumulating mob. On being questioned by Hume on their motives, they said it was bad enough for Burke, 'the poor devil', to be hanged, but they feared he would be mocked and denigrated by the crowd and so they were there to keep the crowd away from him as much as they could. The Irish in Scotland at that time were a marginalised and ghettoised group who saw Burke as one of their own. Therefore, they most likely saw it as their duty to at least try and protect him during, in their view, his final and most harsh mistreatment by a society that had habitually mistreated him and them.

Culture collections originated in the 19th century, but it was not until 1962 that the first international conference was held at the National Research Council in Ottawa, Canada. Microbes-like epidemics-know no borders. Collectors were concerned with public health as well as science. For the 1962 meeting, 266 scientists came from 25 countries. They recommended a special section for collections within the International Association of Microbiological Societies. By 1970, it became the World Federation of Culture Collections, which still coordinates collections worldwide. Canadian microbiologist Stanley Morris Martin (1920-2007) who had handled local arrangements for the Ottawa meeting became the inaugural president, serving from 1970 to 1976. Originally an expert on enzymes, Martin embraced his role within the international network and championed peaceful uses of microbes and the establishment of collections in developing countries. But after his retirement, he seemed to disappear. Drawing upon scientific contributions, newspapers, and interviews, this article explores the conference, its programme, challenges, and legacy. It also tracks the long-forgotten career of Stanley Martin.

Miss Isabella "Ella" Barbour Pirrie (1857-1929) made substantial contributions to nursing through her work in Belfast and Edinburgh. Born to a notable medical family, Pirrie's inclination toward nursing was influenced by her father's profession. She trained at the Liverpool Royal Infirmary and was mentored by Florence Nightingale, whose guidance shaped her nursing philosophy and practices. Notably, Pirrie's role in the Belfast Union Workhouse Infirmary was transformative; she championed the implementation of standardized nursing uniforms, enhancing the professional standing and recognition of nurses. Her efforts led to the establishment of a formal nursing training program in Belfast, despite facing significant resistance and challenges. In 1894, Pirrie moved to Edinburgh to become the First Matron at the Lady Grisell Baillie Memorial Hospital. Her tenure there was marked by significant advancements in nursing education, including the establishment of a community and district nursing department. By the end of her service, over 140 nurses had been trained, with many pursuing international missions. Despite her resignation in 1914 due to health issues, Pirrie continued her work as the superintendent of the Deaconess Rest Home in Edinburgh until her death in 1929. Her legacy is commemorated by a statue at Belfast City Hospital and a plaque at Greyfriars' Charteris Sanctuary, reflecting her profound impact on nursing education and the professionalization of the field.

Wu Mengchao had been engaged in basic and clinical research in hepatobiliary surgery since the 1950s and is recognised as the founder and pioneer of hepatobiliary surgery in China. In his career of over 60 years, Wu performed over 16,000 operations and made numerous breakthroughs in hepatobiliary surgery, liver cancer signal transduction, immunotherapy and molecular pathology research. Wu's series of achievements have driven the innovative development of basic theoretical research on the liver in China, establishing it as a long-term international leader in the field of hepatobiliary surgery. This biography elucidates Wu's outstanding contributions to the establishment and development of Chinese hepatobiliary surgery.

The mastery of medical sciences, pharmacy, and botany can be seen in the records of Andalusian scientists. This descriptive-analytical research introduces one of the scientists of the 10th and 11th centuries AD. Medical knowledge and its affiliates are taken from the medical heritage of ancient civilizations. Andalusian scientists changed Andalusia's agricultural and economic situation by adopting new agricultural methods, especially irrigation and planting of medicinal plants. The name of Ibn Wāfid shines among Andalusian scholars. He was one of the theorists in the field of pharmacology in the Middle Ages. His practical method of treating patients is remarkable. His therapies tend to use nutritional methods more than prescribing drugs. He preferred single medications to compound ones. He insisted on curing diseases through hydrotherapy in mineral springs. While working in botany, Ibn Wāfid also specialized in medicine and pharmacy. He also benefits from the experiences of his master Zahrāwi while using the works of Galen, Aristotle, and Dioscorides. One of his honours was the establishment of several botanical gardens for the kings of the time. Ibn Wāfid's attempt at the flourishing of pharmacology, botany, and medicine can be considered a significant contribution to the visibility of these sciences in Medieval Andalusia.

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) is an iconic figure in modern pop culture. Although many of his medical conditions have been the subject of extensive speculation, less is known about his ophthalmological problems, including steroid-induced glaucoma caused by a life-long use of steroids, both prescribed and self-administered, and secondary angle closure glaucoma most likely due to anterior uveitis. Further, he had an episode of acute angle closure glaucoma in 1971 that was treated with a subconjunctival injection of a mydriatic agent or, less likely, a paracentesis combined with an iridotomy. David Meyer, MD, was Presley's main ophthalmologist from 1971 until the latter's death in 1977.

Treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer is and has been a challenge. In 1957, the chemist Imre Könyves came to Sweden as a refugee from Hungary and started to work at AB Leo, a pharmaceutical company in Helsingborg. In 1961, he started to synthesize compounds where the oestrogens were linked to a mustard group by a carbamate. This resulted in estramustine phosphate, which was initially tested against mammary cancer with disappointing results. He then started a cooperation with urology professor Gösta Jönsson, Head of the Department of Urology at the Lund University Hospital, to test estramustine phosphate against prostate cancer. Jönsson started clinical estramustine phosphate tests in 1966. His studies were one-armed and consecutive, with a "favourable response" in 83% of previously untreated patients. These favourable results could not be reproduced in later randomized controlled studies suggesting that estramustine phosphate as primary treatment was not better than conventional estrogenic treatment. Conclusions: Even if the results of Gösta Jönsson's studies could not be confirmed, the subsequent randomized studies of estramustine phosphate may hide the desired action of estramustine phosphate in a subgroup of patients. It has still not been elucidated whether estramustine phosphate has effects in this subgroup of patients with ostrogen-resistant prostate cancer.