Journal of Medical Biography最新文献

The understanding of the immunobiology of human milk is primarily a 20th-century phenomenon, but, even with our contemporary understanding, it remains a bit of a mystery. Breastfeeding of human milk, although the most obvious and natural form of nutrition for human infants, has been hindered by cultural and societal norms since ancient times. Thus, not all infants have experienced the advantages this form of nutrition may offer. Although these advantages have been anecdotally suggested since ancient times, it was only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that the superiority of human milk was scientifically documented. The underlying immunobiological properties of human milk underpinning its observed superiority only became appreciated with advances in immunology that occurred in the mid to late 20th century. Armond S. Goldman (1930-2023) was in the vanguard of those promoting and developing an understanding of the immunobiology of human milk and its superiority in promoting the health of human infants.

Elinor Catherine Hamlin (1924-2020) was a world-renowned Australian obstetrician and gynaecologist who dedicated almost her entire adult working life to eradicating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. Leaving behind a comfortable life in Sydney and later Adelaide, she travelled with her husband Reginald Hamlin (1908-1993) to Addis Ababa in 1959, with the view to working there for three years and helping set up a midwifery school at the Princess Tsehai Memorial Hospital. But the couple ended up spending the rest of their lives in Ethiopia, where they revolutionised maternal healthcare services and standardised best practice measures for fistula patient care. In 1975 they jointly opened the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital - at that time the only operating specialist fistula hospital in the world - which was destined to become a global centre of excellence in obstetric fistula surgery. Today the hospital carries on Catherine Hamlin's legacy as one of Sydney's most impactful medical graduates on the world stage.

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.

British-born Dr Edward Waldegrave Wardley (MRCSL, 1842) is an unacknowledged pioneer in the history of mental health care in Australia. Between 1857 and 1872, he assisted in the development of a policy of non-restraint across lunatic asylums in New South Wales (NSW). He then went on to extend this approach to the treatment of NSW's criminally insane patients. In addition, he trialled experiments to intellectually engage educated psychiatric patients across the colony. A prolific writer, and sufferer of chronic depression, Dr Wardley serves as a unique example of a nineteenth-century alienist with lived experience of mental illness.

While the contributions of Dr Marjory W. Warren to geriatric medicine are widely acknowledged, their specifics have become obscured by the passage of time. The primary objective of this narrative review of her medical publications was to clarify the contributions she made for this field of medical practice. A total of 82 publications were found. In them Warren presented a then novel and hopeful approach to the management of older patients that included making care plans derived from comprehensive assessments, implementing team-based interventions, and ensuring continuity of care. These innovations, though, took years to implement and included what would now be considered a number of paternalistic and hierarchical aspects. Objective patient outcome data was rarely presented. While responsible for innovations that remain key to the field, some of what she proposed are either no longer possible (e.g. large in-patient units with prolonged lengths of stay) or have required modifications to align with current practice.

Dr Kadambini Bose Ganguly, BA, Graduate of Bengal Medical College (GBMC), LRCPE, LRCSE, LRFPSG, a woman of many firsts, defied social criteria to become one of the first women to graduate in medicine in India in the nineteenth century. She was also the first Indian female to pass an entrance examination to a medical school in India. Dr Ganguly went on to become the first Indian woman to graduate and practise Western medicine in India, and remains an important symbol of women's empowerment in India. She understood the struggles that women faced, supported the education of fellow female students and promoted childcare for working women. She demonstrated that a woman could perform responsibilities in both the professional and domestic domains. Dr Ganguly paved the path for the success of other women and helped achieve female representation in the delivery of healthcare. This paper examines her life and work for women's empowerment and medical education.

Arnold James Knight was born on the 17th May 1789, the youngest of three sons and seven daughters born to Alexander and Catherine Knight of Sixhills Grange, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. The Knight family were Catholics and traced their origins to the fifteenth Century. As a child, Arnold Knight was taught by the Rev. James Simkiss, a man of profound learning and scientific knowledge, and aged 10 he was sent to Baddesley Green Academy, Edgbaston, to be taught by the Franciscan Monks. At 16, he went to St Mary's College, Oscott, Birmingham to 'improve his Latin and Greek'. Oscott College today is a seminary in the Archdiocese of Birmingham but then it was also a lay school where the notable Catholic families sent their sons to be educated. At Oscott, his piety and academic ability so impressed his teachers that they hoped he would study for the priesthood but he decided to study medicine.

The transition of the Stomatology Clinic into the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at the Medical Academy Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden shows how healthcare evolved in East Germany after the Second World War. Founded in 1954 to tackle medical staff shortages, the department grew and specialised over time, becoming a key hub for surgical dentistry in Saxony. Through structural changes, it became a semi-autonomous unit, emphasising patient care and research. By 1983, it evolved into a full Section of Stomatology, streamlining care and training, enhancing expertise and promoting collaboration. Overall, this transformation reflects a significant shift in dental healthcare and academic leadership, shaping surgical dentistry in the region.

Robert Hamilton (1749-1830) was born in Coleraine, Ireland, attended medical school in Edinburgh, Scotland, served in the British army and practised in South-East England. In order to differentiate him from his contemporary and namesake, Hamilton is identified by having worked in Ipswich, Suffolk and Colchester, Essex. This submission considers Hamilton's biography, his 1787 book on the British regimental surgeon and his ideas therein about professionalism. Central to his concept of professionalism is 'tenderness', a notion that broadly equates to empathy. He notes that tenderness brings improvement in clinical outcome and he has the foresight to recognise nurses as key to such care. The authors explore the concept of 'consulting in the dark', i.e. without access to clinical investigations. This is exemplified by doctors of the eighteenth century and earlier. Today general practitioners must still be comfortable 'consulting in the dark', e.g. when attending a patient's home. Hamilton's biography offers a further example of 'consulting in the dark': In later life, he lost his vision but continued to practise successfully. Central to his gift of consulting 'in the dark' was likely to be 'tenderness' for his patients, expressed through language and gentle touch. Hamilton's entreaty for 'tenderness' contrasts with modern medical education where reliance upon clinical tests, technology and pharmacology risksblinding young doctors towards patients and their lives.