Journal of Medical Biography最新文献

This paper traces the history of Man's Anatomy, one of the most influential anatomy textbooks produced on the African continent. Authored by the two renowned South African educators Phillip Vallentine Tobias and Maurice Arnold, the first volume of this book was published in 1963. Both an anatomy textbook and a dissection manual Man's Anatomy included an in-depth exposition of structures of the human body, presented in an innovative and engaging way. In 1999, in line with the developments in medical and anatomy education as well as broader societal changes, the book was significantly condensed, and its name changed to Practical Anatomy. The second edition of Practical Anatomy was published in 2020 and is currently still in use at many South African universities.

This article details the collaboration between Dr Walter B. Cannon (1871-1945) and Dr Arturo Rosenblueth (1900-1970) at the Department of Physiology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) in the 1930s-1940s. Cannon was a renowned physiologist whose Department of Physiology was home to scientists from around the globe. Rosenblueth joined the Department as a Research Fellow in 1930. Over the following 15 years, Rosenblueth and Cannon co-authored over 20 papers and one book. Rosenblueth ended his tenure at HMS as an assistant professor before returning to Mexico to head a newly created institute of physiology. This article draws from personal and professional correspondences between Cannon and Rosenblueth at HMS in the 1930s and early 40s. These letters, along with others from those at the Department of Physiology and the greater Harvard community paint a picture of the feeling towards Latin American scientists at that time. Finally, this brief survey illuminates some of the contributions of the many Latin American scholars who worked in the department during these years. The diverse backgrounds of these talented young scientists coupled with immense support from Cannon and Rosenblueth enabled remarkable discoveries and innovations in neurophysiology throughout the first half of the 20th century.

Dr WG Grace was a general practitioner in Bristol, in the late nineteenth century, but is better remembered as 'the father of cricket'. He showed early promise as a skilled cricket player and was already playing for Gloucester County, by the age of fifteen. However, coming from a well-established medical family, his father wanted him to become a doctor. He trained in Bristol and after qualifying he set up his own practice in the same environs. By this time, he was a superb cricketer with a glittering county and England career, combined with his clinical duties. He has several memorials where he lived and practised in Bristol, which are described and illustrated in this review. These include commemorative plaques in the local church, and near his later residence in Clifton, as well as a large mural at a train station and another at a shopping centre. These are all tributes to one of the most famous sons of Bristol. He is also celebrated at Lord's Cricket Ground, the home of cricket, with eponymous memorial gates and a full-size statue inside the ground. A fine example of a doctor who also had other talents, these memorials reflect his widespread appeal and his long-lasting legacy.

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.

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.

In the chronicles of medical advancement, Dr Paul Farmer stands out as a transformative figure whose unwavering commitment to healthcare equity has reshaped treatments for the disenfranchised. An American anthropologist and physician, Farmer has had a profound impact on global health which encapsulates a legacy driven by the steadfast belief that healthcare is an inalienable human right. This article explores Farmer's monumental contributions, showcasing how his dedication has revolutionized the landscape of healthcare, particularly for those marginalized and underserved. As the architect of Partners In Health and a guiding force at Harvard Medical School, he fostered a novel paradigm of enduring, community-focused medical care. His unyielding advocacy from Haiti to Rwanda confronted entrenched health disparities and galvanized support for increased access to primary and secondary care. His poignant critiques and policy recommendations during the COVID-19 crisis highlighted his relentless pursuit of health justice - advocating for equitable vaccine distribution and tackling racial health disparities. His scholarly works on overlooked health dilemmas and the urgency of global healthcare reflect a legacy that transcends his lifetime. While his passing is deeply felt, Farmer's visionary ethos continues to inspire, beckoning us toward a more equitable healthcare horizon.

Due to binomial classification system defined by Carl von Linné, it has been shown that living things that were thought to be independent from each other are actually in a relationship. This "binomial classification" idea corresponds to a leap in the history of human thought. Carl von Linné's original idea is a product of the specific conditions of the period, particularly the renaissance and reform movements and geographical discoveries, rather than an idea he produced alone. These movements are part of a chain of ideas that stretches from antiquity to the Medieval and then to the period called the Enlightenment. The aforementioned transformations generally affected the scientist, albeit indirectly, even in geographies far from Sweden, where Carl von Linné spent most of his life. As such, the binomial classification system stands before us as a result of scientific breakthroughs in central Europe. In this study, it will be tried to be explained by taking the opus magnum of Carl von Linne as an example, taking into account the course of scientific developments, which we can attribute to the European civilization, and the philosophical and social texture.

Xavier Bichat, who lived a short life (1771-1802), was prominent French anatomist and physiologist during the time of revolution and one of the founders of French scientific medicine. He played a key role in the creation of the science of histology. Indeed, he was the first to see the organs of the body as being formed through the specialization of simple, functional units (tissues). Bichat is also known as one of the last of the major theorists of vitalism.

Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and twice-elected President of the United States, was highly respected in late-19th century America. Gradually however, it became the conventional wisdom that he was an alcoholic who had only succeeded as a general by using overwhelming force. This change began with his political enemies and those who resented his suppression of the Ku Klux Klan, his regard for the welfare of Native Americans and his support of Reconstruction. Jealous subordinates and those with an axe to grind added their voices to this and then the views of certain influential academic historians and romantic adherents of 'The Lost Cause' were unchallenged until the mid-1950s. Grant was undoubtedly an occasional binge drinker but this is not the same as being an alcoholic. Charles A. Dana is the most authoritative source for the claim that Grant was a frank alcoholic. In 1887 he wrote that Grant was drunk on a trip to Satartia, Mississippi in 1863 during the siege of Vicksburg. In this paper, the author shows that Grant was actually ill on that trip from the disease of malaria, alcohol was not involved at all, and that Grant suffered episodically from this disease both before and during the Civil War.