Houston History of Medicine Lectures

Obstetrical Forceps: History, Mystery, and Morality

Ronald L. Young — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:46:11 PDT

The history of obstetrical forceps has almost always been one cloaked in controversy after a long history of being shrouded in mystery. Forceps have a long history and have evolved from facilitating the delivery of dead fetuses to aiding in the delivery and survival of live babies. In the middle of all of this arises the story of the Chamberlain family whose contribution was enormous but whose behaviors pushed at the envelope of (at least) our present-day concepts of medical ethics. This lecture traces an interesting story that spans a millennium.

Jean-Martin Charcot - Neurologist by Avocation, Nephrologist by Yearning

Gary Eknoyan — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:46:10 PDT

In an age of medical advances and specialization, Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) helped found the discipline of neurology and in 1882 was appointed the first professor of Diseases of the Nervous System in France. As an investigator with broad interests and vast knowledge Charcot contributed to several other disciplines. An early mentor and dominant figure in Charcot's formative years was Pierre Rayer (1793-1867), famous for his seminal contributions to the study of the kidney, who gifted Charcot with his passion for clinical pathological correlations and likely a yearning for the study of kidney diseases. Famous for the clarity and incisiveness of his formal teaching presentations, Charcot lectured on the kidney at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris in 1877. Translated into English and published as a book titled Lectures on Bright's Disease, they became widely accessible and quoted in the literature through the present. In addition, at a time that he was already concentrating on the study of neurological disorders, Charcot maintained his life-long interest in the kidney and published original studies on the pathological changes of the kidney in gout and experimental lead poisoning, as well as supporting a study of hysterical ischuria by his students.

The Rise and Fall of the Doctor-Patient Relationship

Thoams R. Cole — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:46:08 PDT

This talk will outline the history of the doctor-patient relationship in the West. It will touch briefly on medicine in Greek and Roman antiquity, using key texts from Hippocrates and Galen. It will also sketch the changing balance of the religious and the secular in medieval medicine. Finally, it will outline the rise of the modern personal doctor-patient relationship in the 18th century and analyze the chronic dissatisfaction that settled over relations between doctors and patients in the last quarter of the 20th century.

Puerperal Fever from Hippocrates to Pasteur

Hunter A. Hammill — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:46:07 PDT

The death of a mother in childbirth leaving a newborn deserted is a sort of a desecration. This was a frequent event for early physicians. It was felt to be caused by miasmas or punishment from the gods. DaVinci felt the cause was milk stasis, Hippocrates - lochia, Virchow - weather. Then came Semmelweis, Pasteur and Lister. They started a battle with ignorance, hospital administration, budget and academic politics. Ending with the murder of Semmelweis!

Microbe Hunters Revisited – Paul de Kruif and the Beginning of Popular Science Writing

Stephen Greenberg — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:46:06 PDT

Paul de Kruif is credited with being one of the first popular science writers for the general public. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1916 and worked at the Rockefeller Institute under Simon Flexner. After being fired in 1922 for publishing a scathing article on medical research, de Kruif caught the attention of Sinclair Lewis, who used his scientific background to write his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Arrowsmith. In 1926, de Kruif published Microbe Hunters which recounted the exploits and discoveries of 14 renowned microbiologists from von Leeuwenhoek to Pasteur, Ross, Paul Ehrlich and Walter Reed. Microbe Hunters became a best seller, was translated into 18 languages, and formed the basis of two Hollywood movies, "Yellow Jack" and "The Magic Bullet." Generations of young readers were captivated by the vivid protrayal of these men and their discoveries.

History of Medicine Schedule 2010-2011

Houston History of Medicine Society — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:59:48 PDT

William Osler (1849-1919): America’s Most Famous Physician (Robert E. Rakel)
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: A Neurosurgeon’s Eyewitness Account of the Medical Aspect of the Events of November 22, 1963 (Robert G. Grossman)
Making Cancer History: Disease and Discovery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (James S. Olson)
The History of Pathology as a Biological Science and Medical Specialty (L. Maximillian Buja)
“Medicine in the Mid-19th Century America” (Student Essay Contest Winner) (David Hunter)
The Achievements and Enduring Relevance of Rudolph Virchow (Nathan Grohmann)
Medicine: Perspectives in History and Art (Robert E. Greenspan)
What Every Physician Should Know: Lessons from the Past (Robert E. Greenspan)
Medicine in Ancient Mesopotamia (Sajid Haque)
The History of Texas Children’s Hospital (B. Lee Ligon)
Visualizing Disease: Motion Pictures in the History of Medical Education (Kirsten Ostherr)

Baylor History of Medicine Society Schedule 2006-2007

Baylor History of Medicine Society — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:28:14 PDT

After Western Medicine: From Hippocrates to Xavier Bichat (H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr.)
Who Goes First? The Story of Self-Experimentation in Medicine (David Sears, M.D.)
Exercise and Health: From Pre-History to the Present (Carlos Valbonna, M.D.)
Supernaturalism to Rationalism and the Man Between (Student Essay Contest Winners) (Don Lassus)
The Fog of War’s Silver Lining: The Lasting Impact of Military Medicine (Student Essay Contest Winners) (Ajit Vyas)
From Drummers to Detail Men: Medicine and the pharmaceutical industry in the United States, 1900-1960 (Howard Brody)
Eyewash and Thunderbolts: The Medical Adventures of Lewis and Clark (Herbert M. Swick)
Angry Arrows and Satin Dresses: Tales from the Annals of Plague (Herbert M. Swick)
The Greatest Books in the History of Neurology (Robert Gordon)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Paralytic Illness: What was the cause? (Armond S. Goldman)

Baylor History of Medicine Society Schedule 2007-2008

Baylor Hisotry of Medicine Society — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:07:42 PDT

"Medicine: Perspectives in History and Art" (Robert E. Greenspan)
Eight Practical Lessons from Osler That Will Better Your Life (Bryan Boutwell)
History of the American Mental Hospital: From networking to not working & Back (Ed Fann)
Ambiguities and Amputations: Methods, mishaps, and the surgical quest to cure breast cancer (Student Essay Contest Winner) (Matt Luedke)
An Automated, Algorithmic, Retrospective Analysis of the Growing Influence of Statistics in Medicine (Student Essay Contest Winner) (Ryan Rochat)
What’s Special about William Osler? (Charles S. Bryan)
The Virtuous Physician: Lessons from Medical Biography (Charles S. Bryan)
Legacy: 50 Years of Loving Care – The History of Texas Children’s Hospital, 1954-2004 (Betsy Parish)
The Education of a University President: Edgar Odell Lovett of Rice University (John B. Boles)
Artists and Illness: The Effect of Illness on an Artist’s Work (David Bybee)

Houston History of Medicine Society 2008-2009 Schedule and Abstracts

Houston History of Medicine Society — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:07:40 PDT

The National Library of Medicine and the Continuing Legacy of Michael E. DeBakey, M.D. (Stephen B. Greenberg)
The Legacy of William Osler: North America’s most famous physician (Robert E. Rakel)
A Lady Alone: Elizabeth Blackwell: First American Woman Doctor (Linda Gray Kelley, Charlton)
A Mariner with Crippling Arthritis and Bleeding Eyes: The Chronic Arthritis of Christopher Columbus (Frank C. Arnett)
Generation C(affeine): A History of Caffeine Consumption and its Medical Implications (Student Essay Contest winners) (Priti Dangayach)
Our Artificial Fitness? Relaxed Selection Leads to Medical Dependence (Student Essay Contest winners) Philip Boone
Remembering John P. McGovern, M.D. (1921-2007) (Bryant Boutwell)
Who Was Albert Schweitzer? (Bryant Boutwell)
Disease, Doctors and the Duty to Treat in American History (Thomas R. Cole)
Vaccinating Freedom: The African-American Experience of Smallpox Prophylaxis in Old Philadelphia, 1723-1923 (Dayle B. Delancey)
The Royal Hemophilia (The Royal Hemophilia)

History of Medicine Schedule and Abstracts 2009-2010

Houston History of Medicine Society — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:07:39 PDT

From Genes to Genome: An historical perspective (David Wheeler)
Ignaz Semmelweis: Medical Prophet Without Honor (Ronald L. Young)
Why Lewis Thomas, MD is Not a Bore: The Life of a Biology Watcher (Steven Greenberg)
Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans (Vivien Spitz)
Illuminating Autism: Passing the Torch from the Twentieth Century (Student Essay Contest Winners) (Lynn Yudofsky)
Healing Beyond Hippocrates: The Temples of Asclepius and Public
Health Care in Ancient Greece (Andrew Baldwin)
Iron Wills and Iron Lungs: The Polio Years in Texas (Heather Green Wooten)
William Osler and the Inspirational Uses of History (Michael Bliss)
Working Too Hard and Achieving Too Much: The Cost of Being Harvey Cushing (Michael Bliss)
Medicine in Ancient Egypt (Gene Boisaubin)
The History of Diabetes (Jeff Unger)