I was really interested in the Corrupted Blood incident and I want,
first of all, thank the author for this article.
I only wanted to write a little note about two in-game nouns that are
used in the article:
1) The name of the new playable area released by Blizzard
Entertainment in September 2005 is called "Zul'Gurub", not "Zul'Gurunb";
2) the final boss of Zul'Gurub is called "Hakkar", not "Hakka".
I know that these nouns are not that important for the global content
of the article, but I thought it could have been useful to inform you
about these little "mistakes".
The use of the Homeric epics to imagine a move from martial to
pastoral metaphors is a fascinating project. While the utility of this
reading in no way depends on the intentions of the original composers of
the epics, there seem to be compelling arguments to suggest that these
poets would not have agreed with it.
Any thematic changes between the Iliad and the Odyssey are not
conscious changes by a single poet....
The use of the Homeric epics to imagine a move from martial to
pastoral metaphors is a fascinating project. While the utility of this
reading in no way depends on the intentions of the original composers of
the epics, there seem to be compelling arguments to suggest that these
poets would not have agreed with it.
Any thematic changes between the Iliad and the Odyssey are not
conscious changes by a single poet. The core components of the epics were
sung by a number of itinerant performers who travelled around the Greek
world before the advent of a writing system. Their songs were collated
several hundred years later - perhaps by a single editor whom we now know
as Homer. It is likely that the Iliad and the Odyssey were originally
composed many decades, or even centuries, apart. A shift from martial to
domestic themes between the two reflects gradual cultural change.
Although it is suggested that the narrative of Achilles demonstrates
the channelling of anger into reflection, moral courage and productive
pity, this seems to run counter to his professed motivations. His actions
are best understood in the context of the choice he is given by the Fates
as a young man. He is asked to choose between a long and uneventful life,
and a short but glorious one. He opts for the second. So, when his prize
is taken from him, Achilles feels that this choice has not been respected.
His speech to Odysseus seems to make clear that thoughts of returning home
are motivated by expediency alone.
Likewise, Achilles' treatment of Priam is best understood in the
context of his choice. He is eventually moved to pity by Priam's appeal to
think of his own father. When Achilles does so, he reflects that his
father was fated to have only a single son, and one who has chosen to die
young. Pity comes from empathy. Anger is only tenuously replaced - when
Priam asks for Hector's body back straight away Achilles warns him not to
press the issue or he will kill him.
It seems, then, that there is little in the Homeric epics to
demonstrate the rejection of the martial for the pastoral. This is not to
criticise the use of the epics to illustrate such a rejection, but it is
likely to be a project that their poets would not have identified with.
It is not widely known that the analysis of psychoanalysis and
psychology is a developing field of study. One which covers the topics of
empathy, consciousness, subtle interactions and topics of interest to
people wishing to increase awareness is on line through the Coursera
Network, see Title above. It is a serious study of the history of
mysticism and religion and it's influence through the practices of various
school...
It is not widely known that the analysis of psychoanalysis and
psychology is a developing field of study. One which covers the topics of
empathy, consciousness, subtle interactions and topics of interest to
people wishing to increase awareness is on line through the Coursera
Network, see Title above. It is a serious study of the history of
mysticism and religion and it's influence through the practices of various
schools of thought such as Kaballa or Christianity and Communism on
psychology. The Coursera Courses are free on line through the MOOC Network
which is a network of universities running courses globally as part of an
ethical approach to providing higher education to anybody with access to a
computer. One huge advantage to studying the course is that individuals
with high degrees of scholarship and knowledge also input through open
forums. The degree of empathy and integrated thinking by individuals from
many backgrounds and disciplines is extremely interesting.
We are impressed by Dr Jeffery and colleagues' innovative styles of
medical education in the context of communication skills, self-awareness
and ethical thought1. However, it is difficult to be convinced that short
theatre workshop alone would affect the same results across an entire
cohort of medical students for reasons we will detail here. The module
does however offer a refreshing method in critically engaging studen...
We are impressed by Dr Jeffery and colleagues' innovative styles of
medical education in the context of communication skills, self-awareness
and ethical thought1. However, it is difficult to be convinced that short
theatre workshop alone would affect the same results across an entire
cohort of medical students for reasons we will detail here. The module
does however offer a refreshing method in critically engaging students in
the complexities of the patient-doctor relationship.
A primary limitation in this study is that selection of the SSC drama
module was voluntary. The students who have chosen this drama module are
therefore not likely to be reflective of the medical student population in
general. In addition the numbers participating are small, with only nine
students across two years of enrolment, two students of which had
expressed the option to be "a mistake" or their "last option". This
highlights underlying obstacles to participation which have not been
explored in the context of this article; the ability to engage medical
students in what many regard as "soft skills" in comparison to other areas
of their curriculum. Furthermore the article details that within this
arguably atypical group, the primary concern on the first day was that of
assessment criteria. This is reflective of the pervading culture of
medical schools which is often focused towards passing exams. Therefore in
this case formal assessment may guide input and direct student learning to
that which students feel will impress the examiner. It is therefore very
difficult to make objective assessments on what the students gained
without subjective bias of the module convenors.
We feel this SSC module is a step forward in addressing this deficit
within medical education and in a new and enjoyable way. It starts a
process of critical thinking amongst the students which if, as the author
recognises, can become embedded in clinical practice, will benefit both
patients and doctors alike. We believe the focus on increasing self-
awareness in this module should form part of the mandatory curriculum.
Medical schools as an institution thus need to adopt anthropological
approaches, whereby they cultivate young doctors who consider social
relationships, cultural norms and the micro and macro politics that
influence health and well-being and the experience of illness.
1.Jeffrey E, Goddard J and Jeffrey D (2012). Performance and
palliative care: a drama module for medical students [in] Medical
Humanities, (38), pp110-114.
I was pleasantly surprised when I read your article highlighting the
need for role of Theatre in Medical Education. I have been conducting
Theatre workshops to teach complex medical topics over the last couple of
years and wanted to share with you the work that has gone in so far.
Please have a look at my website www.medicaltheatre.com
to have a feel of what we have been doing. Our current...
I was pleasantly surprised when I read your article highlighting the
need for role of Theatre in Medical Education. I have been conducting
Theatre workshops to teach complex medical topics over the last couple of
years and wanted to share with you the work that has gone in so far.
Please have a look at my website www.medicaltheatre.com
to have a feel of what we have been doing. Our current focus is to improve
education on pain.
Ian C. M. Williams' article on the use of comics as a suitable medium
for medical narratives is a timely evaluation of the potential of the
comicbook form to address several medical issues. For a medium that is
roughly over a hundred years old (although some scholar might argue that
comics had their roots in the inception of printed cartoons, whereas
others trace back their origins as far as the Bayeux Tapestries or even...
Ian C. M. Williams' article on the use of comics as a suitable medium
for medical narratives is a timely evaluation of the potential of the
comicbook form to address several medical issues. For a medium that is
roughly over a hundred years old (although some scholar might argue that
comics had their roots in the inception of printed cartoons, whereas
others trace back their origins as far as the Bayeux Tapestries or even
prehistoric cave paintings), comics have surely evolved in content,
variety of subject matter and format. As noted, comic studies are
relatively new, but a number of books have been published, there are post-
graduation courses focusing in comics theory (as the one offered by Opet
in Curitiba, Brazil) or literary studies of comics (as the University of
Dundee's, Scotland, that began last year), theses, Manchester's University
International Comic Conference and even two peer-review periodicals;
Studies in Comics and The Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics.
As a practicing neurologist and life-long comics reader I had the
opportunity to present last year at the 29th International Epilepsy
Congress a poster based on Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon's graphic
novel Tumor entitled TUMOR - A GRAPHIC NOVEL REPRESENTATION OF
GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME AND MULTIPLE SEIZURES TYPES. This is the story of
a private detective who is diagnosed with GB, while solving his last case.
A variety of seizure types and other symptoms, such as confusional state
and space-time disorientation are presented in graphic form from the
standpoint of the main character/patient, providing a layman's
interpretation of seizure semiology.
Again, as mentioned in William's article, comics provide a rich
source of material for medical studies. Even the so-called mainstream
comics have featured characters with multiple medical conditions, such as
Barbara Gordon's spinal injury in The Killing Joke, which ultimately led
her to become the paraplegic heroine Oracle; David Lapham's Young Liars,
where the main female character suffers a bullet wound to the frontal lobe
and looses impulse control; or Sue Dibny's death in Identity Crisis as a
result of a brainstem stroke caused by the murderous Jean Loring's
stepping over her basilar artery in microscopic size.
Also, several characters are Medical Doctors, such as Marvel's Doctor
Strange, Gotham City's Dr. Leslie Thompson, the X-Men's Dr. Cecilia Reyes
or JSA's Dr. Mid-Nite. There will be more articles on the interaction
between comics and Medicine in the coming years for sure.
We thank Dr. Ntanda for his interesting remarks, but we disagree with
them. We think temporal lobe epilepsy is the most plausible diagnosis
because Chopin had paroxysmal crisis as he was disconnected from reality.
Sand and Mme Streicher narrated it quite precisely. To the best of our
knowledge he had neither alteration in his mental status, nor problems
in orientation, nor cognition deficit, thus a confusional state see...
We thank Dr. Ntanda for his interesting remarks, but we disagree with
them. We think temporal lobe epilepsy is the most plausible diagnosis
because Chopin had paroxysmal crisis as he was disconnected from reality.
Sand and Mme Streicher narrated it quite precisely. To the best of our
knowledge he had neither alteration in his mental status, nor problems
in orientation, nor cognition deficit, thus a confusional state seems not
a good option. On the other hand, synaesthesia is a quite simple process
in wich a sensory stimulus produces a normal sensation in the stimulated
sensory pathway and the stimulation of other sensory pathway. The
synaesthetic sensation appears automatically, like a reflex, and it is
always the same within each synaesthete. Chopin had complex visual
hallucinations, not the perception of colours when he was playing;
moreover, he had other symptoms consistent with epilepsy during the crisis
such as piloerection, fear, paleness, and sweating. A lot of gifted artits
were synesthetes: Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Scriabin. Rimsky-Korsakov,
Messiaen, Kandinsky, to quote a few.(1) (2) Chopin was not one of them. It
is true that synaesthesia could be secondary to temporal lobe epilepsy,
but we do not know of any account of Chopin complanining about it
throughout his whole life.
(1) Marti i Villalta JL. Musica y neurologia. Barcelona: Lunwerg.
2010.
(2) Mulvenna CM. Synaesthesia, the arts and creativity: a neurological
condition. In Bogousslavsky J, Hennerici MG (ed): Neurological disorders
in famous artists. Part 2. Basilea: Karger. 2007.
I read with interest Caruncho and Fernandez postulation of Chopin
possibly having temporal lobe epilepsy, and resultant complex
hallucinations.
I was struck by a few other explanations which could account for these
bizarre phenomena. He was in a state of poor health, and could have had a
few subacute confusional state in clear consciousness.
Secondly it is not uncommon for truly gifted people such as Chopin to have
synaes...
I read with interest Caruncho and Fernandez postulation of Chopin
possibly having temporal lobe epilepsy, and resultant complex
hallucinations.
I was struck by a few other explanations which could account for these
bizarre phenomena. He was in a state of poor health, and could have had a
few subacute confusional state in clear consciousness.
Secondly it is not uncommon for truly gifted people such as Chopin to have
synaesthesia, a a process in which one type of stimulus produces a
secondary, subjective sensation( for example when some color evokes a
specific smell)What could be in favour of this is considering that in some
of the accounts these events happened while he was playing music.
What isn't in doubt was that these "hallucinations" did not impede him
from being one of the greatest musicians of all time.
We thank van Bodegom and Engelaer for their interesting letter. They
pose a fundamental philosophic and practical issue in modern medicine:
causation. Nevertheless, we did not intend to elaborate a causal network
of the diseases of Chopin. Our aim was to find an explanation to a few
biographical accounts of the composer and make a retrospective clinical
diagnosis. Our diagnostic guess is a syndromic one as we can't provi...
We thank van Bodegom and Engelaer for their interesting letter. They
pose a fundamental philosophic and practical issue in modern medicine:
causation. Nevertheless, we did not intend to elaborate a causal network
of the diseases of Chopin. Our aim was to find an explanation to a few
biographical accounts of the composer and make a retrospective clinical
diagnosis. Our diagnostic guess is a syndromic one as we can't provide any
causal diagnosis.
We do believe that Chopin suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy, but we do
not know of any clue to conclude if his epilepsy was primary or secondary.
We do not know if he could have had febrile convulsions during his infancy
or childhood, or an arteriovenous malformation, or mesial temporal lobe
sclerosis, or any other cause of secondary epilepsy, and we will never
know. Notwithstanding, we know of some possible seizure triggers, such as
fever, late nights, playing difficult music, and so on.
We agree with van Bodegom and Engelaer that a single cause of disease is
not appropriate for explaining most of the human diseases. Chopin suffered
from other diseases that ultimately caused his death. Analising his health
status and the relationship among his sufferings is an interesting topic,
but it was not the aim of our article.
I was really interested in the Corrupted Blood incident and I want, first of all, thank the author for this article.
I only wanted to write a little note about two in-game nouns that are used in the article:
1) The name of the new playable area released by Blizzard Entertainment in September 2005 is called "Zul'Gurub", not "Zul'Gurunb";
2) the final boss of Zul'Gurub is called "Hakkar", not "Ha...
The use of the Homeric epics to imagine a move from martial to pastoral metaphors is a fascinating project. While the utility of this reading in no way depends on the intentions of the original composers of the epics, there seem to be compelling arguments to suggest that these poets would not have agreed with it.
Any thematic changes between the Iliad and the Odyssey are not conscious changes by a single poet....
Please note author's change of email address.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
It is not widely known that the analysis of psychoanalysis and psychology is a developing field of study. One which covers the topics of empathy, consciousness, subtle interactions and topics of interest to people wishing to increase awareness is on line through the Coursera Network, see Title above. It is a serious study of the history of mysticism and religion and it's influence through the practices of various school...
We are impressed by Dr Jeffery and colleagues' innovative styles of medical education in the context of communication skills, self-awareness and ethical thought1. However, it is difficult to be convinced that short theatre workshop alone would affect the same results across an entire cohort of medical students for reasons we will detail here. The module does however offer a refreshing method in critically engaging studen...
Dear Dr. Kohn
I was pleasantly surprised when I read your article highlighting the need for role of Theatre in Medical Education. I have been conducting Theatre workshops to teach complex medical topics over the last couple of years and wanted to share with you the work that has gone in so far.
Please have a look at my website www.medicaltheatre.com to have a feel of what we have been doing. Our current...
Ian C. M. Williams' article on the use of comics as a suitable medium for medical narratives is a timely evaluation of the potential of the comicbook form to address several medical issues. For a medium that is roughly over a hundred years old (although some scholar might argue that comics had their roots in the inception of printed cartoons, whereas others trace back their origins as far as the Bayeux Tapestries or even...
We thank Dr. Ntanda for his interesting remarks, but we disagree with them. We think temporal lobe epilepsy is the most plausible diagnosis because Chopin had paroxysmal crisis as he was disconnected from reality. Sand and Mme Streicher narrated it quite precisely. To the best of our knowledge he had neither alteration in his mental status, nor problems in orientation, nor cognition deficit, thus a confusional state see...
I read with interest Caruncho and Fernandez postulation of Chopin possibly having temporal lobe epilepsy, and resultant complex hallucinations. I was struck by a few other explanations which could account for these bizarre phenomena. He was in a state of poor health, and could have had a few subacute confusional state in clear consciousness. Secondly it is not uncommon for truly gifted people such as Chopin to have synaes...
We thank van Bodegom and Engelaer for their interesting letter. They pose a fundamental philosophic and practical issue in modern medicine: causation. Nevertheless, we did not intend to elaborate a causal network of the diseases of Chopin. Our aim was to find an explanation to a few biographical accounts of the composer and make a retrospective clinical diagnosis. Our diagnostic guess is a syndromic one as we can't provi...
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