When Do We Have Empathy For People Living with Mental Illness?
Do we feel more empathy for those living with mental disorders when there's a biological explanation versus a psychosocial one for their condition?
Why Male Midwives Concealed the Obstetric Forceps
The history of obstetric forceps shows the dangers of privatizing important medical know-how.
North Korea’s Anti-American Propaganda Improved Public Health
During the Korean War, North Korea suffered widespread epidemics of typhus and smallpox. The Communist party blamed US germ warfare.
What’s the Definition of Health?
The WHO’s definition has been the target of criticism in the medical literature since its first appearance in 1948.
The Genetics of Cousin Marriage
It's conventional wisdom that procreation between first cousins is unhealthy. But what are the actual genetic risks?
The Science Behind Decompression Sickness
Deep-sea divers now know how to avoid "the bends." But decompression still poses a problem when studying marine organisms from the deep.
The First Native American to Receive a Medical Degree
Susan LaFlesche Picotte was first Native American to be licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. She opened her own hospital, but didn't live to run it.
The Man Who Invented Modern Infection Control
He's hailed as the "father of infection control" and the "savior of mothers," but the truth about Ignaz Semmelweis is more complicated than that.
Did Venereal Disease Lead to Abolition?
Many abolitionists seeking to end slavery in the British West Indies were concerned less with human rights, more with the preponderance of what they saw as "interracial sex."