In today’s post, we preview the work of David K. C. Cooper, “Heart Surgery and Transplantation – Innovations Impacting on Concepts of Life and Death.” For centuries, the heart has been looked upon differently from other vital organs, even if those organs are equally important in sustaining life. Today, very many heart operations are performed […]
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From the December Special Issue: Hugh McIntyre on matters of the (failing) heart
From our December special issue, The Failing Heart: Semantics and science. Science today understands the heart as muscular ball whose mechanical job is to pump blood at sufficient pressure, and which can be replaced if needed. Yet in literature and conversation we still refer to the heart as part of what makes us the person […]
It’s time for a Covid-19 Memorial “AIDS” quilt
by Alison Bateman-House To memorialize the death of over 1,000 San Franciscans due to AIDS, in 1985 gay rights activist Cleve Jones asked individuals attending an annual march to create placards containing the name of those who had died. After the march, these were taped to a building, where they resembled a patchwork quilt. Thus […]
Book Review: Winston Churchill’s Illnesses
Allister Vale and John Scadding (2020). Winston Churchill’s Illnesses 1886 -1965. Frontline Books, 2020 pp 522. ISBN 978 1 52678 949 5 Book review by Adrian Crisp A 16 year old boy shuffled past the coffin in Westminster Hall and stood in the crowds outside St Paul’s Cathedral at his funeral. Fixed in my auditory […]
Accessibility, Creation, Community: An interview with Cheryl Green
What would it mean if, instead of being “add-ons,” accessibility tools like captions and transcripts were built into a project from the ground up? What if instead of thinking about accessibility as “mere” additions only, we realized their incredible creative power? Listen to an interview between EIC Brandy Schillace and the intrepid Cheryl Green. Listen […]
Film Review: Unnatural disasters, a look at ‘Cooked: Survival by Zip Code’
Review by Neil Singh, a primary care physician and senior teaching fellow in the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School ‘Cooked: Survival by Zip Code’ (Judith Helfand, USA, 2018, distributed by Bullfrog Films) (Streaming free on PBS, also available on Amazon) “What’s the best way to prepare for […]
Virtual Symposium announcement: New Realities in Times of COVID-19: A Humanistic Response
This might be of interest to our reader: a free virtual symposium on “New Realities in Times of COVID-19: A Humanistic Response,” part of the “Doctor as Humanist” Series. Saturday, November 21. Start: 2pm GMT/9am EST | End: 8pm GMT/3pm EST, registration required | Event page. From the organizers: Join our virtual symposium New Realities […]
Imprisoned on the COVID-19 Death Row
by Carlos Franco-Paredes, MD, MPH; Michael Aaron Vrolijk MA, MS, and Eniola Ogundipe […]
Images of vaccination
In the coming months, one of history’s most ambitious vaccination campaigns will begin in earnest. Complex political, social and cultural factors will shape public reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, and communication surrounding the vaccine’s arrival will be as critical as its underlying efficacy. Before entering the fray, reflecting on some powerful vaccination images can help […]
Accessing the Future (in a voting year): ways forward for LGBTQ+ health access
In today’s podcast, Dr. Ng speaks with EIC Brandy Schillace about issues of LGBTQ+ and health accessibility. Already a difficult prospect, access to care for this population has become increasingly precarious during the COVID epidemic. Dr. NG describes some of the problems faced by patients and by clinicians—and looks for ways of making a better […]