Musing of a Contemporary Pathologist

Category Art

A Passion for Joan

This may well be the actual face of Joan of Arc. From contemporary reports, she was 5 feet 2–3 inches tall, athletic, and had dark brown hair and a somewhat short neck. We have no detailed description of her face,… Continue Reading →

A Gift

Where do writers get the ideas for their stories? From life experiences, of course, as well as family histories. News reports and past history, either the writer’s or someone else’s, are common sources. Sometimes a writer will adapt an older… Continue Reading →

Protector of Children: Béla Schick

Ben Greene is the protagonist of my still-in-progress third novel. He is a senior pathologist (not a surprise …) and former chairman at a large academic hospital pathology department. Soon after his successor as chairman, Alden Morrison, arrives in the… Continue Reading →

Journey to Podstrana – the search for Arthur continues

  from the John Boorman film, “Excalibur” Few stories are better known in the Western world than that of King Arthur. In a previous blog post we commented, in some detail, on that legend (1). Who has not heard of… Continue Reading →

Camembert

          My childhood was decidedly unsophisticated in many ways, including gastronomically. For the first decade of my life my parents and I lived with my maternal grandparents, both immigrants from different shtetls close to Vilnius in what is now Lithuania…. Continue Reading →

Medical Trivia #5: Johannes Lijdius Catherinus Pompe van Meerdervoort; a story of serendipity

Jeopardy category: Medical trivia Jeopardy answer: Johannes Lijdius Catherinus Pompe van Meerdervoort, the Netherlands Correct response: Who established the foundation for modern medical practice in Japan and from what country was he?   Many writers—generally of a certain (relatively advanced)… Continue Reading →

Medical trivia #4: Billroth and Brahms

                          Using language to convey the magic of Brahms would be like using a wooden classroom ruler to measure the speed of light.          … Continue Reading →

Sweet Emma

The mostly unadorned, dark room slopes down from back to front. There’s room for perhaps 200 people but, as I soon learned, most stand and only about twenty people get to sit in the front, on the floor, on scattered… Continue Reading →

The greatest entertainer …

Some months ago, PBS broadcast a concert with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Bennett, who is 92 and about to begin a national tour, has, of course, been a major force in American music for many decades. Other than hearing… Continue Reading →

O. HENRY

Among my many inherited traits is a love of movies. Although not likely to be DNA-based, this characteristic, which was so strong in my mother, is one that I value highly and  that gives me great pleasure. I particularly love… Continue Reading →

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