Recognize this infectious disease? It’s highly unlikely—but had the etymology gone slightly differently, you undoubtedly would have. Widely known today by the moniker “chickenpox,” the origin of the name (and the disease itself) has led to quite a bit of head scratching.
Imagine that seated in the waiting room of your office is a pale stranger wearing a flowing black cape. In a halting Slavic accent, he complains of an aversion to sunlight and claims that his condition temporarily improves with ingestion of exogenous blood.
Schwannomas are neoplasms composed of Schwann cells, which are responsible for maintaining the myelin sheath of peripheral neurons. A loss of function in the NF2 gene, which codes for the protein merlin, often gives rise to these tumors.
The appearance of warts in fairy tales, folklores, and superstitions throughout history provides a rich source of theories of the causes of warts as well as a variety of suggested remedies.
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 represent not only a dark time in colonial America but also a curious medical mystery. The trials began when several young girls in Salem, Massachusetts, fell ill and developed unexplained symptoms, including temporary blindness, skin lesions, convulsions, and hallucinations.
The name for talc, a sheer white mineral, is derived from the Greek word talq, which means “pure.” It is the softest rock on earth.
In July of 1917, the allied forces rallied against the German Empire, in a battle fought in the trenches of the Ypres salient, a highly sought-after territory of Belgium.
Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a rare, systemic inflammatory disease that is characterized by symmetrical swelling and scleroderma-like indurations of the distal extremities and trunk, often accompanied by pain and eosinophilia.
Pilomatricomas are benign calcifying neoplasms derived from follicle matrix cells. They are more common in children than adults (1–3).
In ancient Rome, the poet Ovid mentioned in his Medicamina Faciei that Pharian fish and crocodile intestines and dung were used as cosmetics to brighten the complexion and remove freckles.
