Autumn 2004
ARTICLES Galileo's gout Prompted by David Freedberg's magisterial "The Eye of the Lynx" (a book about the Roman Academy of the Lincei of which Galileo was a star), and by Dava Sobel's popular Galileo's Daughter, I've concluded that Galileo was not only a victim of the Inquisition, but of Saturnine (lead-induced) gout. His biographers agree that (a) Galileo was indeed hobbled by "gouty" arthritis most of his days; (b) that he suffered from frequent kidney stones, bloody urine, and renal infections, of which he eventually died; (c) that he suffered since mid-life from abdominal pains, usually ascribed to a hernia for which he wore a heavy iron truss; and finally (d) that not only was he a lifelong heavy drinker, but presided over his own cottage winery, where metal-bound casks of wine often turned to vinegar. Lead killed him, and-I suspect-his daughter as well.
Felix Platter: A sixteenth-century medical student In the fall of 1552, sixteen year old Felix Platter traveled from Basel to Montpellier in SE France to enter medical school. The 370 mile journey took 20 days. During his five years in France, he encountered dangers from brigands in the land and from religious turmoil besetting central Europe. Felix was Protestant; France was Catholic with a vigorous Inquisition searching for heretics. Montpellier then had the most renowned medical school north of the Alps. The curriculum Felix followed was the classical mixture of Hippocrates, Galen, and Arabist physicians but included the new emphasis on anatomy. Felix witnessed sixteen public dissections plus clandestine dissections of disinterred corpses. Felix Platter returned to Basel and in the later 16c became Switzerland's most famous physician and academician. His texts on anatomy and general medicine were widely used. His life and that of his family have been described in detail in three recent books.
Ernest Henry Starling, medical educator
Caduceus, the staff of Asclepius or Hermes The staff entwined by a serpent or serpents is accepted as a common symbol of the medical profession and health care industry. Unfortunately, two distinct images exist. The staff with a single snake belonged to Asclepius, the father of Western medicine. The staff with two entwined snakes belonged to Hermes, the prince of thieves, and is more commonly seen. A review of 527 professional medical academies, associations, colleges, and societies, revealed that 123 organizations use the staff in their symbolism. The staff of Asclepius outnumbered that of Hermes nearly three-fold, 92 versus 31 organizations, respectively.
What do we mean by "the art of medicine"? Since the time of Hippocrates, ideas about the nature of art have been inextricably linked to various definitions and descriptions of clinical practice. "The art of medicine" is a phrase and concept that has endured several thousand years and is widely employed in medical literature today. However, its meaning varies among authors, suggesting that the relationship between "art" and "medicine" is still in great flux and may signify very different ideas for different clinicians. A Medline keyword search for the phrase "art of medicine" discovers 235 entries since 1965. This article examines common themes in contemporary uses of the phrase, while considering the historical connection between art and medicine. The author suggests that such themes may point to a tenable, albeit broad, definition of the phrase that carries considerable weight in helping caregivers to define what clinical medicine has evolved to become.
The workup, or Where is Champollion when we need him?
PERSPECTIVES The pleasure of lifelong learning
At a loss for words Advances in medicine and technology have resulted in an increase in average life expectancy. One result of this improved longevity is the increased likelihood of a death in an intensive care unit linked to a ventilator. One cost of a technological death is that it deprives a person, in his waning moments, to offer to posterity that special wisdom and truth lon associated with final words. This essay identifies and illustrates four types of last words and discusses whether the advance of technology is a threat to their existence.
POETRY Palliative Bypass Out After the Last Test Stonehenge, 1963 Life Offerings |
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