35 years ago, a second year medical student witnessed a watershed moment in medical history: the first clinical application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The author, who was that student, now shares this never before told story. Continue reading
Magic and Medicine by Felix Sun
Felix is a fourth years student at Williams College where he is an accomplished tennis player, song writer, magician and chemistry major. Felix.S.Sun@williams.edu Abstract: Felix Sun did a medical elective during January of 2012 in a dermatology office. He drew on his experiences performing magic tricks for children and applied them to the clinical setting. It became clear that sleight of hand goes a long ways towards making children (and some adults, too!) more comfortable in the clinical setting. Keywords: magic, patients, student elective, Williams College. Magic. Is it real? That’s hard to say, but what it can create seems as “real” as it gets. That special moment when time … Continue reading
The Power of Hugs
The Power of Hugs By Nicholas Kristof NY Times, October 21, 2012 Nicholas Kristof’s “Sunday column looks at the recent research into the importance of early childhood interventions to reduce poverty and social problems. It’s something I’ve been interested in for some time, originally through the work of Dr. Jack Shonkoff at Harvard, and now a new book by Paul Tough beautifully assembles the evidence for what might be called the brain biochemical element of poverty — and the strategies to address it.” The Op-Ed piece is a great summary of some of the points made by Paul Tough in “How Children Succeed,” a book which I, too, found really … Continue reading
Relative Risk – A Near Fatal Case of Acne
By Richard Sontheimer Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Utah School of Medicine, richard.sontheimer@hsc.utah.edu Keywords: Acne, isotretinoin, Accutane, depression, suicide He was an intense young man who interacted with me differently than other patients. Each time I entered the exam room, he welcomed me by using my first name. Unusual, as he was 40 years my junior and not a personal acquaintance prior to his first clinic visit. He had presented for scarring cystic facial acne. Five months later, he had completed a course of oral isotretinoin (Accutane®) with complete clearing of all inflammation from his face. While winding up my last clinic visit with him, I asked the required … Continue reading
Thoughts about brachioradial pruritus
Brachioradial pruritus is a common condition that is not well-recognized by most practitioners. I saw my first patient with brachioradial pruritus (BRP) in 1983 when I practiced dermatology in Hawaii. She was a middle-aged woman with intractable pruritus over the dorsolateral (brachioradial) aspect of her left arm proximal and distal to the elbow. I remember her well since an article on the subject had recently appeared in the Archives of Dermatology1. Her general doctor had told her it was “nerves” and prescribed amytriptylene, which at the time was primarily an antidepressant. BRP is more commonly encountered in tropical and sub-tropical areas, and over the next few years I saw a fair … Continue reading
Book Review: Room for Examination
Reviewed by: Dr. David Elpern I have had an interest in books about medical training for many years and have read a score or so on this topic. Those that stand out are, William Nolan’s “The Making of a Surgeon1,” Perri Klass’ “A Not Entirely Benign Procedure2” and Fitz Mullan’s “White Coat, Clenched Fist.” To this exclusive canon, I now add James Channing Shaw’s new book, “Room for Examination: True Tales of a Disillusioned Dermatologist” which chronicles the path from naïf to dermatologist. It is wise, philosophical, honest, poignant, humorous, engagingly written, never self-serving and riveting. Shaw is Division Head of Dermatology at the Women’s College Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada. … Continue reading
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The OJCPC-Dermatology is a new concept in medical periodicalss. We will address all stakeholders in skin disease: patients, their families and caregivers. We envision a level playing field, not top down from high-control professionals. Please join us on this journey. Write an article for us, read our pieces, visit our blogs. Make Comments. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
