To Sir, With Love.

In this biography, the life of William Hugh Isbister is traced through three continents, where he planted the seeds of academic surgery into a generation of leaders in colorectal surgery. This ultimately improved the care for thousands of patients. His last station in Saudi Arabia made a huge impact on the country. I hope this article inspires others to write about their mentors who were important in their development as surgeons and physicians. Short biographies of these important figures will serve as a valuable historical record for generations to come.

Evidence-based medicine: a brief historical analysis of conceptual landmarks and practical goals for care. / Medicina baseada em evidências: breve aporte histórico sobre marcos conceituais e objetivos práticos do cuidado.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is intended to improve the efficiency and quality of health services provided to the population and reduce the operational costs of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; the objective of EBM is to identify relevant issues and promote the social applicability of conclusions. This article underscores the importance of EBM in modern clinical teaching and social practices from the contributions of Archibald Cochrane and David Sackett to the development and dissemination of this paradigm in care and education during the twentieth century. EBM has helped broaden discussions on the relationships between teaching and medical practice, and has taken on an important role in curriculum reforms and training models and practices in health care.

A medicina baseada em evidências (MBE) pretende aumentar a eficiência e qualidade dos serviços de saúde prestados à população e diminuir os custos operacionais dos processos de prevenção, tratamento e reabilitação. Busca identificar problemas relevantes do paciente e promover a aplicabilidade social das conclusões. O artigo ressalta a importância da MBE para o ensino e para as práticas clínicas sociais da atualidade a partir da contribuição de Archibald Cochrane e David Sackett no desenvolvimento e na difusão desse paradigma assistencial e pedagógico durante o século XX. A MBE tem contribuído para ampliar a discussão sobre as relações entre ensino e prática da medicina, assumindo papel de destaque em reformas curriculares e modelos de formação no cuidado e práticas em saúde.

Medicina baseada em evidências: breve aporte histórico sobre marcos conceituais e objetivos práticos do cuidado / Evidence-based medicine: a brief historical analysis of conceptual landmarks and practical goals for care

Resumo A medicina baseada em evidências (MBE) pretende aumentar a eficiência e qualidade dos serviços de saúde prestados à população e diminuir os custos operacionais dos processos de prevenção, tratamento e reabilitação. Busca identificar problemas relevantes do paciente e promover a aplicabilidade social das conclusões. O artigo ressalta a importância da MBE para o ensino e para as práticas clínicas sociais da atualidade a partir da contribuição de Archibald Cochrane e David Sackett no desenvolvimento e na difusão desse paradigma assistencial e pedagógico durante o século XX. A MBE tem contribuído para ampliar a discussão sobre as relações entre ensino e prática da medicina, assumindo papel de destaque em reformas curriculares e modelos de formação no cuidado e práticas em saúde.

Abstract Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is intended to improve the efficiency and quality of health services provided to the population and reduce the operational costs of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; the objective of EBM is to identify relevant issues and promote the social applicability of conclusions. This article underscores the importance of EBM in modern clinical teaching and social practices from the contributions of Archibald Cochrane and David Sackett to the development and dissemination of this paradigm in care and education during the twentieth century. EBM has helped broaden discussions on the relationships between teaching and medical practice, and has taken on an important role in curriculum reforms and training models and practices in health care.

Amphiaraos, the Healer and Protector of Attika.

Amphiaraos was an important and popular healing hero/god in Athens from the end of the fifth century BC, however, not much has been studied. This paper investigates the figure in various ways by examining different sources. In the sixth century BC and in to the fifth, Amphiaraos was an Argive warrior hero that came into war against Thebes. He then seems to have acquired a sanctuary in the Theban territory being a mantic hero. In the end of the fifth century BC, however, he is said to have swallowed up by the earth and sprang up again in a spring at Oropos. Between 420-414 BC, his sanctuary was set up by the Athenians at Oropos. But this time, he was venerated as a healing hero. In 420 BC, Asklepios was introduced to Athens in order to cure plague that went around from 430s BC. It seems that the Athenians benchmarked Asklepios to promote one more healing hero/god at their north eastern border. When Oropos was taken by their enemies, a substitute Amphiareion was established in Rhamnous, a deme close to Oropos. The Athenians also promoted a patriotic hero through the words of Euripides. Illustrated as having gone through the same process of sacrifice - death - commemoration, Amphiaraos was put in parallel with the Athenian mythical king Erechtheus. Through this parallel, Amphiaraos became a political figure that protected Athens from outside threats. Healing was, by the ancient Athenians, understood in a wide spectrum and was considered as a way to protect the polis.

Sharing the Airway: The Importance of Good Communication Between Anesthesiologist and Surgeon.

One of the most challenging tasks during airway surgery is ensuring adequate ventilation throughout the procedure. Because the airway is shared between surgeon and anesthesiologist, successful oxygenation and ventilation of the patient can only be accomplished through close collaboration during the various stages of the procedure. This includes periods in which surgical airway manipulation compromises adequate ventilation and periods in which ventilation interferes with the surgical environment. With continuous communication between surgeon and anesthesiologist, optimal outcomes can be achieved.

UniversitätsSpital Zürich: 80 years of neurosurgical patient care in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: The predecessor of today's Department of Neurosurgery, UniversitätsSpital Zürich (USZ), was founded 80 years ago as the first independent Swiss clinic dedicated to neurosurgical patient care. On the occasion of this anniversary, we aimed to highlight the history of neurosurgery as a specialty at the USZ, and to put it into the historical context of Swiss and European Neurosurgery. METHOD: A literature review was conducted and we searched the archives of the USZ and the city of Zurich, as well as those of Swiss journals to extract relevant published articles, books, historical reports and pictures. The USZ Department of Medical History, the Museum of Medical History and the Swiss National Library were contacted to provide source material. To further verify the content, (emeritus) faculty from the USZ and external experts on the history of Swiss neurosurgery reviewed the manuscript. RESULTS: Surgeries of the head and spine had occasionally been conducted in Zurich by the general surgeons, Rudolf Ulrich Krönlein and Paul Clairmont, before an independent neurosurgical clinic was founded by Hugo Krayenbühl on 6 July 1937. This was the first Swiss department dedicated to neurosurgical patient care. Besides providing high-quality medicine for both the local and wider population, the department was chaired by eminent leaders of neurosurgery, who influenced the scientific and clinical neurosurgery of their time. As such, it has long been regarded as one of the top teaching and research hospitals in Switzerland and in Europe. CONCLUSIONS: On the occasion of its 80th anniversary, we have performed an in-depth review of its development, successes and challenges, with a special focus on the early decades. Reflecting on the past, we have identified common denominators of success in neurosurgery that remain valid today.

From Georgia to Jerusalem: some Medical Aspects of "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" by Shota Rustaveli.

The Georgian poet Rustaveli wrote his epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin around 1200. He knew the works of Hippocrates and Galen, and believed in the unity of body and soul.Thereare many references to health and medicine in the poem, and we shall highlight some of them. In 1185 Rustaveli left Georgia and settled in Jerusalem. There he lived and died at the Monastery of the Cross, where he was buried.

Sentinel node biopsy and improved patient care.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is based on the hypothesis that the sentinel lymph node (SLN) reflects the lymph-node status and a negative SLN might allow complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) to be avoided. Past and current sentinel lymph node clinical trials for breast carcinoma have addressed the prognostic and therapeutic benefits of this technique and as such, SLNB has become a standard of care for select breast cancer patients. This article reviews the history of SLNB as well as current guidelines and recent controversies.

Obligations of an academic and clinical oncologist: historical reflections.

Obligations are derived from one's core values-those fundamental, enduring, deeply held beliefs that guide one's everyday actions. Gandhi stated it more eloquently than I ever could: "Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny." So what are the obligations of the academic oncologist and clinician? I believe there are a few indubitable and fundamental obligations: professionalism, patient care, stewardship, maintenance of knowledge, productivity, and mentorship). I might add that I do not see these obligations as unique to the academician but rather applicable to all physicians.

Peabody's "Care of the Patient" and the Nature of Medical Science.

Francis W. Peabody's 1927 essay "The Care of the Patient" is widely quoted, yet few appreciate the subtlety of its interweaving of medical science with its more obvious humanistic elements. Understanding the essay in context requires a recapitulation of Peabody's life story, a review of earlier work that led up to the culminating lecture in 1926, and a detailed analysis of the thread of argument Peabody wove through the lecture. A better understanding of the essay shows how Peabody anticipated several important later developments in medical thought.

Medical progress, psychological factors and global care of the patient: lessons from the treatment of childhood leukemia.

The history of treatment of childhood leukemia is a meaningful model of ethical, bioethical and organizational repercussions of medical progress. Specifically, it has provided precious indications and very useful tools to cope with several of the more important problems of modern medicine: the value of controlled randomized studies; the risks of intense medicalization impairing the quality of care; the importance of a valid doctor-patient relationship; the psycho-emotive involvement of the pediatric staff; and last but not least, the need of an unrelenting effort of humanization of the procedures and environments, hand in hand with the frequent adjustments of the protocols according to scientific and technological progress. Finally, the authors comment upon the first cures (1962-1966) observed in the Pediatrics Clinic of the Sapienza University of Rome.