I found this recent article in Slate fascinating. It draws on the research legacy of James Olds, who did some of the seminal experiments with electro-stimulation of the brain. He referred to certain reward centers for basic drives such as hunger and sex. These became known collectively as the “pleasure centers” of the brain.
Fine so [...]
I originally wrote this editorial/review as a handout for patients back in 2004. I’ve updated and republished it here as a public service.
One important issue I did not highlight in my article is the inherent conflict of interest on the part of the USDA. How can the agency that promotes various food industries give unbiased [...]
One of the great novels of the twentieth century. Also one of the most powerful expressions of existentialism and humanism ever written. I reviewed this book for the Narrative Medicine Series in 2003. See also the article A Hero for Our Times published in The Guardian.
The Plague is an allegorical novel set in the [...]
I recently posted my first full length lecture podcast on the topic Approach to Cough in Adults. In it I present an algorithm distilled from a 2006 comprehensive review article published in the journal Chest.
This is apparently a week for neuroscience. Just finished listening to a fascinating interview with Temple Grandin about autism, humane treatment of livestock and the connections between the two. Her new book is Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best life for Animals.
Just prior I read an article titled Some Protect the Ego by Working [...]
Mirror Neurons help explain why watching someone perform a task is almost as important as doing it yourself. The human brain responds to both doing and watching in the same way. Mirror neurons may also play an important role in social interaction and the development of empthy. Researchers recently proposed that their dysfunction may explain some of [...]
This is one of the scariest books I’ve read in a long time—and it’s not fiction! Published in 2002, it chronicles the strange tale of Smallpox, its world-wide eradication, and the lingering threat of its return. Millions are alive today thanks to the efforts of D. A. Henderson (2) (who received the Presidential Medal of [...]
My invited commentary on the physical exam and its place in modern medicine.
The physician must be prepared to play the roles of screener, coach, and counselor.
This old Basic Clinical Skills site has a series of physical exam checklists I developed during the 1990s that are still popular today.
My first Web publishing effort. A series of short chapters describing medicine in the late 1800s and early 1990s. Dr. Rohlf was my grandfather’s mentor and partner. He was known as “Uncle Bill” in my family, although he wasn’t a blood relation.
Visit the site at gmd.rathe.org!