History of Medicine

Medical history, evolution of healthcare, and historical perspectives on medicine

“The Scarlet Plague” by Jack London

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An elderly bearded scholar sits among open books in the ruins of a devastated city, speaking to a young boy as a crumbling cathedral rises in the background.

I alone remember. And if I don’t tell you, children, everything that was and everything we knew, all will be lost. Jack London (1867–1916) was a prolific American writer. He’s best known for adventure novels like “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang,” but his vast work also addressed social issues. “The Scarlet Plague,” … Read more

“A Young Doctor’s Notebook” by Mikhail Bulgakov

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Early 20th-century doctor in a white coat examines a seated woman wrapped in a blanket inside a modest rural clinic, with wooden furniture, medicine bottles, an oil lamp, and snow-covered windows.

“A Young Doctor’s Notebook” by Mikhail Bulgakov is a goldmine of information for those interested in the history of medicine. Mikhail Bulgakov, a Russian doctor and writer, lived from 1891 to 1940. Born into a family of intellectuals, he studied medicine in Kiev, graduating in 1916. He then worked in various rural villages, with his … Read more

Docteur Cottard in Proust’s “À la recherche du temps perdu”

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Vintage-style illustration of a doctor in a white coat examining a red-haired child with a stethoscope in an early 20th-century hospital ward, with an iron bed, anatomical charts, bottles, and worn walls in the background.

“On avait fait venir le docteur Cottard qui, après m’avoir ausculté, m’avait déclaré sujet à des crises nerveuses et m’avait prescrit un peu de lait chaud avant de me coucher.” “They had called Dr. Cottard, who, after examining me, declared me subject to nervous attacks and prescribed a little warm milk before bed.” In Proust’s … Read more

Elixir of Love: Udite, udite rustici

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An elderly woman with a cane speaks to a bearded street medicine vendor beside a table of amber bottles in a misty, early 20th-century cobblestone alley.

(Hear me, hear me, listen, o countrimen) – The Elixir of Love by Gaetano Donizetti The Composer Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) was a leading Italian composer of the 19th century, renowned primarily for his operas. Alongside Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he is considered one of the main exponents of bel canto—a lyrical style of operatic … Read more

The Barber of Seville by Gioacchino Rossini

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An elderly physician speaks with a seated young woman in an early 20th-century hospital room filled with antique medical instruments, iron beds, glass bottles, and warm sepia light.

(“A un dottor della mia sorte” – “to a doctor of my station”) ““The Barber of Seville,” a witty comedy written by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais in 1775, was later transformed into a lively opera by Gioachino Rossini in 1816. Rossini’s adaptation breathed new musical life into this classic tale. The Story Rosina lives under … Read more

The Medical Inspection by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

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The Artist The author of “The Medical Inspection” Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born into an aristocratic family on November 24, 1864, in Albi, France. He suffered from a genetic disorder that caused bone fragility, compromising his development. While his torso developed normally, his legs remained stunted. Henri stood only 1.52 m (5 ft) tall as … Read more

Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters

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A winged child stands solemnly among medical-themed gravestones in a historic cemetery, with a stone church glowing in the background.

The author of “Spoon River Anthology” Edgar Lee Masters was born on August 23, 1868, in Garnett, Kansas, but grew up in Lewistown and Petersburg, Illinois. His father was a lawyer, and despite Edgar’s literary inclinations, he followed in his father’s footsteps, studying law. After practicing law in Chicago, Masters turned to literature, composing works … Read more