Seborrheic Keratosis by Fredrick Martyn* She didn’t care that his words stank like halitosis For she was blinded by the amorous amaurosis A relationship that had started with blissful symbiosis Had slowly turned parasitic like toxoplasmosis Alas, she could not outrun the poor prognosis Their connection soon narrowed like aortic stenosis Then it eventually happened, the myocardial necrosis And they split like a cell during the last stage of mitosis Her heart writhed like a hand with athetosis Her mood drooped like an eye lid with a ptosis She felt at a loss like hypovitaminosis A general sense of blue, internal cyanosis In time, the tears disappeared and instead anhidrosis … Continue reading
The Royal History of Porphyria
The word “Porphyria” originates from the Greek “porphyros”, meaning purple. During the Phoenician Era, wearing a purple garment meant having to harvest mollusks to obtain the dye. The process itself proved to be costly and laborious as about 250,000 mollusks were needed to produce just one ounce of the purple dye.1 As a result, purple apparel could only be afforded by the wealthy, and in effect began to symbolize royalty. However, the word “porphyria” may invoke the thought of royalty for another reason being that King George III of Great Britain was thought to have had porphyria. The Porphyrias comprise a group of metabolic disorders that result from an enzyme … Continue reading
Strategies for Hope Conference
Strategies for Hope: Addressing the opioid crisis in rural communities. May 17, 2019 Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Random notes from a compulsive note taker I attended this important conference and am a compulsive note taker. Most people, when the lecturer says, “Good morning,” will mumble back “Good Morning.” But, if one is a pre-med, when the professor says, “Good morning,” you write it down as it may appear as a question on an exam. I never unlearned that habit. These note may be of some value to others.Erik Garcia, M.D.: Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program, Worc3ester, Massachusetts. Stigma and shame play a big role in epidemics. HIV, opioid. It … Continue reading
Evolus Launches Jeuveau at Cancun!
NY Times article: Botox Rival Invites Doctors to Party in Cancun, With Fireworks, Confetti and Social Media Posts Link. Top plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun one weekend this month to learn about a wrinkle-smoothing injection, Jeuveau, that goes on sale this week. It was billed as an “Advisory Board” meeting! All expenses were paid. More than a dozen top doctors gushed about the event on social media — using the company’s preferred hashtag, #newtox — without disclosing that Evolus had paid for their trips. Some of who attended this “working weekend at Cancun” were: Dr. Melanie Petro from Alabama Dr. Lara Devgan, New York … Continue reading
Dear Skin,
dear skin, you have been the cup of my life embracing the everything mystery called me during those years i never thanked you— employed as you are to bear both the scars and joys of my existence someday you will be dust returning me to the inscrutable All of love, laughter and stars when that day comes you will know a new breath and oh the touch that you have always longed for Sr. Lou Ella Hickman Author Bio: Sister Lou Ella Hickman is a former teacher and librarian. She is a certified spiritual director as well as a poet and writer. Her poems have appeared in numerous magazines and … Continue reading
2019 Hot Spots in Dermatology
It is a great pleasure to announce the 32nd Hot Spots in Dermatology Conference held in Hawaii from August 16 – 18, 2019! We have assembled a stimulating agenda, totaling 9 – 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. The program has unique social receptions at which you can mingle with faculty and fellow registrants while watching the sun sink behind the Pacific horizon. Highlights for Hot Spots 2019: Updates on Cutaneous Lymphoma by Madeline Duvic Fine Art and Dermatology by Patrick Kenny Legalized Marijuana Panel Discussion (Pro and Con) Pharmaco-economics and the Biologic Invasion Roy Grekin’s take on his 40 year career as a Mohs Surgeon Conflict of Interest in … Continue reading
Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Dermatology
by Elizabeth Cook* Keywords: Body dysmorphic disorder, cosmetic dermatology, cosmetic surgery, screening, surgery We all know someone who sees a different reality in the mirror. We try to convince her that she is beautiful. “No one is staring,” you say. “Your nose looks just fine.” She may point to her cheek and demand confirmation of invisible flaws. I say she because body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) favors women. Like eating disorders, it usually begins in adolescences, but unlike eating disorders the focus is on minimally noticed or imagined defects, not on fat. By the time these women reach adulthood, they end up in the dermatology clinic, seeking … Continue reading
Meeting Announcement
32nd Annual Hot Spots in Dermatology Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu, Hawaii August 16 – 18, 2019 Please consider joining us for our 2019 meeting. Hot Spots addresses clinical dermatology, emerging technologies and humane aspects of medicine. We keep the number of attendees small to assure meaningful informal sessions at which registrants and speakers have time to interact as colleagues. For more information please email Dave Elpern.
The History of the Skin in Shakespeare, Part 1
by Dr. Robert A. Norman William Shakespeare had a profound knowledge of the medicine of his day, far beyond the knowledge of any playwright, author, or even ordinary physician. Over the course of his thirty-seven plays he notes almost all the contemporary maladies and therapeutics. R.R. Simpson, in his book Shakespeare and Medicine, cites 712 medical references in Shakespeare, and categorizes each according to subject. Shakespeare wrote about many medical issues, including the humors, herbs and plants, the effect of the planets on disease and the moon on the mind, quackery, blood-letting, sexually transmitted disease and public health, suffering, and death. My purpose in this three part article is to … Continue reading
THE OJCPCD PRESENTS: A MEDICAL HUMANITIES CHALLENGE QUIZ #1: DERMATOLOGY IN SHAKESPEARE
by Leonard Hoenig, M.D., Section Editor Beginning with this issue, the OJCPCD presents a new feature called “A Medical Humanities Challenge” that will appear several times a year, to test your knowledge of medical humanities. Quiz #1 examines your ability to identify the medical condition in the following quote from Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet: “ Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! You tallow face!” (Lord Capulet to Juliet: Act 3, Scene 5) Scroll down for answer: ANSWER: Chlorosis (green sickness) caused by iron deficiency anemia. COMMENT: Green sickness, or chlorosis, was a common disorder during the 16th thru 19th Centuries that typically affected young, unmarried … Continue reading
