“Not many physicians have a disease named after them. Tomisaku (“Tomi”) Kawasaki, who has died in June 2020 at the age of 95, was one of the few. Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory autoimmune disorder found in young children, is his namesake. In recent months, this syndrome has been in the global media spotlight as pediatricians discuss its similarity to the complications of covid-19 in children.” The October 16, 2020 issue of the British Medical Journal has a moving obituary of this humble, but iconic pediatrician. A pdf of the BMJ obituary is attached below.

All the President’s Doctors: Walter Read and the Collusion of Anonymityby A.R. Pito Even today, Michael Balint’s seminal book, “The Doctor, His Patient and the Illness” is essential to understanding how patients are managed and treated by physicians and caregivers.  When one considers Team Trump at Walter Read we see this on a granular level. Excerpts from Balint’s book: Chapter 7: The Collusion of AnonymityIn difficult cases, the general practitioner [PCP} does not, as a rule, carry the burden of responsibility alone. The appearance of consultants introduces a number of new factors in the doctor-patient relationship The term the collusion of anonymity refers to who is responsible for the patient … Continue reading →

The past 20 years has seen progress in treating some skin disorders, in particular psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.  PubMed shows a big increase in the number of articles published on atopic dermatitis and psoriasis in contrast to those on other common skin disorders, such as warts and contact dermatitis. PubMed Psoriasis

Marketing Pharmaceutical Science for Prestige and Profit PREPRINT By David J Elpern, M.D. As a dermatologist, I have observed the profusion of research articles on psoriasis over the past two decades.  A graph of these from PubMed illustrates the five-fold increase in references since the first biologic, infliximab, was approved by the FDA in 1998. (Figure 1) This increase in scientific studies has coincided with a profusion of new therapies for psoriasis and may reflect the pharmaceutical industry’s interest in developing and promoting costly new treatments for this common chronic skin disorder.  With this in mind, a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “Trial of Roflumilast Cream … Continue reading →

*Keywords: Dermatopathology, skin specimens, physician burnout, emotional intelligence, detachment, empathy. *The author has no conflicts of interest to report. Preparing Dermatopathology Specimens in Proper Context by Travis Dowdle* As a specimen grosser, I am frequently greeted by samples like this one. Abnormal, soaked in formalin, and disconnected. Without the labeling on the jar there would be no way to ascertain the origin of this tissue. The face and story of this person it was taken from are unknown to me. “Every piece is a person,” Dr. Michelle Tarbox, associate professor of dermatology at Texas Tech University Health Science Center mentioned before going on to explain other important elements of the … Continue reading →