Musing of a Contemporary Pathologist

Category History

On Listening to Chopin’s G minor Ballade

The name of the 19th century composer Frédéric Chopin is widely known. His compositions are frequently played on classical music stations, such as WQXR in New York and KUSC in Los Angeles, both of which can be listened to on… Continue Reading →

Medical trivia #7: Humani nihil a se alienum putabit (nothing human was foreign to him) – Thomas Hodgkin

In these troubled times, as America continues to struggle with, and hopefully comes closer to resolving, the issue of racism decried throughout our history and by so many of our nation’s greatest leaders, I am reminded of Thomas Hodgkin, whose… Continue Reading →

Vertigo

If you are of a certain age the word ‘vertigo’ may bring to mind images of a terrified Jimmy Stewart and the luminous Kim Novak. Perhaps the Golden Gate Bridge will also crowd into your memory, as will the name… Continue Reading →

Medical Trivia #6: The first Robert Remak (1815-1865)

The Second Robert Remak Students of mathematics and crossword puzzle aficionados may be familiar with the name of the brilliant 20th century mathematician Robert Erich Remak (1888-1942) who is remembered for his pivotal 1911 work (“the Remak decomposition”) in the… Continue Reading →

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 →

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