Hektoen International

Hektoen International An International Humanities Journal: Uniting Health and Medicine with Culture An International Humanities Journal: Uniting Health and Medicine with Culture.

“Asking which finger the patient preferred for glucose checks had become routine, so I was unprepared when he replied th...
06/05/2026

“Asking which finger the patient preferred for glucose checks had become routine, so I was unprepared when he replied that he had only one finger….I realized how fortunate I am to have many options in life. For him, there was only one option. It was one of the most humbling and fulfilling experiences…The encounter taught me that there is no single rule for caring: each person is unique, and we must remember to listen, observe, and adapt.” Read how a medical mission to Vietnam inspired Allison Wang to enter medicine: http://bit.ly/49HKumc

Overcoming antisemitism and financial hardship, Hungarian American Surgeon Max Thorex (1880-1960) became a superstar in ...
06/04/2026

Overcoming antisemitism and financial hardship, Hungarian American Surgeon Max Thorex (1880-1960) became a superstar in medicine and served countless underprivileged communities. In 1911, he and Dr. Sol Greenspahn founded the American Hospital in Chicago, later renamed Thorex Hospital. He also excelled in the violin, snare-drum, and photography. Read more about this medical hero: http://bit.ly/4fV7HFd

You Could Win Up to $5,000 in the Fourteenth Annual Hektoen Essay Competition: Hospitals of NoteFrom antiquity to the pr...
06/03/2026

You Could Win Up to $5,000 in the Fourteenth Annual Hektoen Essay Competition: Hospitals of Note

From antiquity to the present day, the hospital has been a cornerstone of human society. Across centuries and cultures, hospitals have healed the sick, sheltered the poor, welcomed pilgrims and orphans, and served as fertile ground for medicine’s most transformative advances.

In this year's competition, we invite you to submit an article on a particular hospital from any time period or location.

Articles may also discuss, but are not limited to: notable physicians or staff associated with the hospital; groundbreaking research conducted there; distinctive architectural or interior design features of the hospital; or significant operations, practices, or treatments associated with the hospital.

We look forward to reading your work!

Grand Prize: $5,000
Second Prize: $2,500
Submission deadline: October 1, 2026, 11:59 PM CST

Full guidelines: https://hekint.org/2026-hektoen-essay-contest/

Military surgeon Henry Norman Bethune’s motto was “Go to the wounded. Don’t wait for the wounded to come to you.” In 193...
06/02/2026

Military surgeon Henry Norman Bethune’s motto was “Go to the wounded. Don’t wait for the wounded to come to you.” In 1938, he established mobile military units to support the Chinese guerrilla campaign against the Japanese army. His work treating wounded soldiers and sick Chinese villagers is legendary. Even Mao Zedong eulogized him, calling on the people “…to assimilate Bethune’s spirit and emulate his utter devotion to others without any thought of self. With this spirit everyone can be very useful to the people…. A man’s ability may be great or small but if he has this spirit he is already noble-minded and pure… a man who is of value to the people.” Read more about this amazing surgeon: http://bit.ly/4oiCXQZ

This exquisite mosaic of an Angel personifying Science (crypt of Louis Pasteur, Pasteur Museum in Paris) lauds one of th...
06/01/2026

This exquisite mosaic of an Angel personifying Science (crypt of Louis Pasteur, Pasteur Museum in Paris) lauds one of the world’s greatest saviors in health, Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). Among the plentitude of his revolutionary discoveries, he created the first vaccine against rabies. The tomb reminds one of “his tireless devotion to science for the benefit of humanity.” Learn more about the symbolism of his tomb mosaics: http://bit.ly/4nUenFP.

In the shadow of the famous victory of Dr. Sidney Farber (1903-1973) treating pediatric leukemia, lies a second, perhaps...
05/27/2026

In the shadow of the famous victory of Dr. Sidney Farber (1903-1973) treating pediatric leukemia, lies a second, perhaps more profound transformation he discovered that occurred not in the marrow, but in the solid architecture of the kidney. http://bit.ly/49n9nDv

Rather than gout, did Queen Anne Stuart (1665-1714) have lupus? A new perspective suggests she suffered from systemic lu...
05/26/2026

Rather than gout, did Queen Anne Stuart (1665-1714) have lupus? A new perspective suggests she suffered from systemic lupus erythematosus associated with antiphospholipid syndrome, which could have contributed to her nearly 17 miscarriages. http://bit.ly/3RvhwzC

Physicians in ancient Nineveh (current Mosul, Iraq) prescribed drugs mainly from plant and animal extracts, some with an...
05/22/2026

Physicians in ancient Nineveh (current Mosul, Iraq) prescribed drugs mainly from plant and animal extracts, some with antibiotic properties, others spices and resins with antiseptic actions. Mustard seeds were used for constipation, chamomile for gastric symptoms, oils for enemas, gum massage for gingivitis, poppy juice for pain, honey mixed with crushed turtle shells as a soothing paste, and sesame oil dressing in postoperative care for its antibacterial properties. http://bit.ly/4tNh4Kw

Performing his first ovarian cystectomy in 1862, Scottish surgeon Thomas Keith’s success “…so far outstripped that of al...
05/19/2026

Performing his first ovarian cystectomy in 1862, Scottish surgeon Thomas Keith’s success “…so far outstripped that of all other operators, that it became a wonder and admiration of surgeons all over the world.” His technique paid strict attention to cleanliness and used “antiseptic dressings,” initially tar bags and carbolic solution. He also made an equally pioneering contribution in the new art and science of photography. http://bit.ly/4ujRTjL

George Orwell, who fought in the Spanish Civil War, penned his experience of being shot in the neck in Homage to Catalon...
05/18/2026

George Orwell, who fought in the Spanish Civil War, penned his experience of being shot in the neck in Homage to Catalonia. “The whole experience of being hit by a bullet is very interesting…like being at the center of an explosion…There seemed to be a loud bang and a blinding flash of light all around me…I fancy you would feel much the same if you were struck by lightning… no one… failed to assure me that a man who is hit through the neck and survives is the luckiest creature alive.” http://bit.ly/4wFQ4PY

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