Videntium cave Vaseline, Slugging and TikTok Docs Makayla Power David J. Elpern Keywords, Vaseline, Aquaphor, CeraVe, social media, TikToc, xerosis, social influencers For 150 years, people been coating their faces and other body surfaces with Vaseline®, the ubiquitous, cheap, commonplace product that was awarded Patent No. 127,568, on June 4, 1872.1  It is such a useful product that,  tongue-in-cheek, we call it Vitamin V. In a parallel universe, great masses of people are hearing about expanded, anecdotal uses for Vaseline®. One, in particular, “slugging,” is being plugged on the video-focused social networking service TikTok.  Launched in 2017, TikTok hosts a variety of short-form user-videos for iOS and Android devices in … Continue reading →

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. – Hamlet (1.5.167-8) By David J. Elpern, M.D.The Skin Clinic 12 Meadow Street, Williamstown, MA 01267djelpern@gmail.com Keywords: medically unexplained symptoms, medically unexplained dermatological symptoms, MUDS, functional symptoms, dermatology All dermatologists see patients with complaints that defy definitive medical diagnosis.  They consult us with hopes for a conclusive diagnosis and treatment, or even just for someone to listen to their symptoms with a supportive ear. Some of our patients have baffling, unexplained symptoms often related to cutaneous pain, pruritus, unexplained skin sensations or excoriations.   These patients frequently have other symptoms: headaches, chest pain, gastrointestinal disorders, … Continue reading →

By Elise Danielle Machrone* The pandemic hit, the world shut downWhat should do stuck in my town?At first we smiled, gave high fivesNott knowing how long we we’d be trapped in our hives One case, two cases, three cases, fourWe wondered how many more?My grandma has Covid, does yours too?We didn’t know what to do People at home cooking new foods In hospitals a national emergency ensued I was cocooned in numbing silenceDoctors tried to understand pandemic science Restaurant dining’s not resumed College lectures only Zoomed Get tested, vaccinated, boosted too What’s all this supposed to do? So now we’re here Still much to fearWill we ever get out? What … Continue reading →

by Vivian J. Hua*   Beneath our fingertips, your bruises ripen under lamplight.We offer you small morselsof grief – you takeinside your mouth.You offer usyour wound –Inside, the soul soaks in silence.Your body closes.We, who can offer younothing but facilitationsof pain, sit quietly amongthe whirring machines.Meaningless gods, we thinkof tombs. Vivian Hua is a 5th year medical student at Stanford School of Medicine. She is pursuing a career in dermatology and is passionate about the intersection between dermatology and the medical humanities. Email: vhua@stanford.edu.