Journal of Medical Biography最新文献

Dr. Russell Davies is a largely forgotten pioneer of both post-operative theatre recovery but also a key figure in the establishment of anaesthetics services in Yugoslavia in the late 1940s. Davies spent the majority of his career working as an anaesthetist at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex, England, later being promoted to the head anaesthetist role. Davies set up one of the first recovery wards in the United Kingdom at Queen Victoria Hospital, the ward being named after him in 1989. Here he became a founding member of the Guinea Pig Club, alongside Dr. Archibald McIndoe. The Guinea Pig Club was founded in 1941 to support airmen in the Second World War undergoing plastic surgery at Queen Victoria Hospital. Davies was crucial to the pastoral care of the Club, providing clinical care and guiding members over access to pensions they would have previously been denied. Little is recognised of Davies's achievement of establishing anaesthetics services in Yugoslavia. Davies and his contributions have been largely overlooked. Davies should be considered one of the foremost British anaesthetists of the 20th century.

Alice Alanna Cashin (1870-1939) was a pioneering Australian nurse whose career spanned both conflict and humanitarian service. Born to Irish immigrants in Australia, Cashin trained at St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, before expanding her expertise in London and joining the British Red Cross during World War I. Her service included critical roles in France and Egypt, and she was eventually promoted to 'seas-matron' on the HMHS Gloucester Castle. During a torpedo attack by a German U-Boat, Cashin displayed extraordinary bravery, overseeing the evacuation of over 399 patients and ensuring their safety before leaving on the last lifeboat. After the war, she managed a military hospital in England before returning to Australia to care for her ailing father and later her elderly uncle. Cashin's post-war years included a modest stint running a stationery shop and her retirement in Victoria Road. Her exemplary service earned her multiple accolades, including the Star Medal and the Royal Red Cross Medal, the latter being the first awarded to an Australian. She was also honoured with multiple mentions in dispatches and personal invitations to Buckingham Palace. Alice Cashin's legacy is memorialised at the Woronora Cemetery, with her medals and accolades displayed at the ANZAC Memorial in Sydney, reflecting her enduring impact on the nursing profession and her remarkable dedication to service and care.

Chaim Sheba was one of Israel's most influential medical figures. An internist by training, Sheba was among the founding fathers of the Israeli military medical system and took part in shaping its unique local model. Between 1950 and 1952, he was the Health Ministry's Director General, and soon after was appointed Head of Tel-Hashomer Hospital. In addition, Sheba played an important part in establishing Barzilai Hospital, in Israel's southern region, and was also one of the chief founders of Tel-Aviv University's School of Medicine. Alongside his work as a doctor and hospital manager and his many public obligations and activities, Sheba conducted research on the genetics of different Jewish ethnic communities who emigrated to the nascent State of Israel. In this article, we focus on Sheba's biography and explore how his vision and relentless activity shaped Israel's health system. While Sheba's achievements are our focal point, we also discuss his professional disappointments and unfulfilled visions.

Bonté Elgood, née Amos, was one of the early women doctors who qualified from the progressive London School of Medicine for Women, established in 1874. She chose to practice in Egypt which was then under British administration. When she arrived in 1900, Egyptian medical provision for mothers and children was rudimentary where it existed at all. For over 50 years, Bonté Elgood played an important role in setting up maternity care and child health services, first in Cairo and later in the whole country. For her work, she was awarded the OBE and CBE by the British government, and she also received decorations from the French and Egyptian governments.

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.