The story of Cinchona: from myth to medicine

Where Andes hides his cloud-wreathed crest in snow, And roots his base on burning sands below; Cinchona, fairest of Peruvian maids, To Health’s bright goddess, in the breezy glades Of Quito’s temperate plains, an alter reared, Trilled the loud hymn, the solemn prayer preferred Inaugural Dissertation upon the Cinchonas, their History, Uses and Effects, Hooker […]

What’s the ethnicity of Dr Google? SPECIALTY searches

What do the images of online doctors tell us about how doctors are portrayed in the Internet Age? What implications might this have on wider society and the medical profession itself? Hey Google! What’s my ethnicity? This post supports my poster at the 2022 Midlands Racial Equality in Medicine Conference. Twitter @MREMnetwork Learning objectives 1. […]

Medicine and The Count of Monte Cristo: Monsieur Noirtier De Villefort

M. Noirtier was sitting in a large wheelchair where they put him from morning till evening, in front of a mirror which reflected the whole apartment and allowed him to see who was coming in or going out, and what was happening around him, without attempting any movement: this was something that had become impossible […]

Medicine and The Count of Monte Cristo: Abbé Faria

A man was lying in the middle of the room, in a circle drawn on the ground with a piece of plaster from the wall, almost naked, his clothes having fallen into tatters. He was drawing very precise geometrical lines in the circle and appeared as absorbed in solving his problem as Archimedes when he […]

Medicine and The Count of Monte Cristo: Dumas and a clinical revolution

‘That is as if you were to wish on the physician nothing but migraines, measles and wasp stings, only ailments that are skin-deep. If, on the contrary, you wish to see me as crown prosecutor, you should wish on me those fearful illnesses that bring honour to the doctor who cures them.’ The Count of […]

Astro-pathogens, exo-infections and xeno-medicine (plus a physician’s approach to panspermia)

Maybe a pathogen from outer space will wipe out all intelligent life on Earth. Perhaps it already has. In any case, what sort of virus might it be? Adenovirus (I-don’t-know-virus). Learning objectives 1. Explore the current thinking behind pathogen viability outside Earth 2. Consider the panspermia hypothesis and potential relationship to pandemics 3. Reflect on […]

The Sick Child: Edvard, empathy and expertise

Can physicians discover empathy and derive clinical expertise from art? Let’s try with The Sick Child by Edvard Munch. Learning objectives 1. Utilise The Sick Child to try and discover empathy 2. Reflect on the meaning of clinical expertise 3. Consider how experiences of illness can be expressed through art Edvard Munch (1863-1944) is perhaps […]

Dangerous diamonds from Benvenuto to Bollywood (the myths and medicine of diamond ingestion)

Is it dangerous to lick a diamond? Can I die from swallowing a diamond? What happens if you eat diamond dust? Is diamond harmful or helpful for health? These are some of the questions about diamond ingestion and toxicity that appear on the internet. Isn’t the answer clear cut? Learning objectives 1. Explore the origins […]

Google Images, M.D. (Class of 2020)

Has your perception of your profession, your colleagues or yourself changed over the the last year? Time for an unreality check. Learning objectives 1. Image search your job role/specialism 2. See what changes, if any, have occurred since last year 3. Reflect on whether these images are influencing patients and doctors Last year I wrote […]

Learning failure for doctors: The Kobayashi Maru simulation in medicine

Report to Starfleet medical immediately. Learning objectives 1. Understand the nature of the Kobayashi Maru simulation 2. Consider how experiencing no-win situations could be useful for doctors 3. Reflect on your own experiences of failure and whether you could have anticipated your feelings In arguably the best Star Trek film we have perhaps one of […]