Vivien Theodore Thomas (1910-1985): An African-American laboratory technician who went on to become an innovator in cardiac surgery

Vivien Theodore Thomas (1910-1985) was an African-American laboratory technician and instructor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. He was born as the grandson of a slave in Lousiana, working as a carpenter and subsequently as a laboratory technician after the great depression and the loss of his savings derailed his plans to become a doctor. In his role as a laboratory technician, he overcame challenging personal circumstances to become an innovator in paediatric cardiac surgery, despite having no formal college education. He played an important role in assisting Alfred Blalock and Helen Taussig in the development of the 'Blalock-Taussig' shunt, a procedure used to improve the survival of children with cyanotic congenital heart defects. He also contributed to major breakthroughs in research covering a spectrum of disorders such as traumatic shock, coarctation of the aorta and transposition of the great arteries. He acted as a teacher and mentor to a generation of surgical residents and technicians who went on to become leaders in their field across the USA. A television film based on his life was premiered by HBO in 2004 titled 'Something the Lord made'.

Social, Motivational, and Symptomatic Diversity: An Analysis of the Patient Population of the Phipps Psychiatric Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1913-1917

In the five years after the Phipps Psychiatric Clinic opened in 1913 at Johns Hopkins, its 88 beds were consistently in high demand. Exploiting the biographical information and the particularly descriptive medical narratives in the hospital records of Phipps patients, this study explores the social composition of the patient population, the various avenues by which patients were admitted, and the decision-making processes of families and communities confronting the vicissitudes of mental illness. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of all admissions between 1913 and 1917 reveal that, contrary to scholarly myth, this population was highly diverse socially, motivationally, and symptomatically.

The past, present, and future of paediatric cardiology training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, in the tradition of Dr Helen Taussig

Johns Hopkins has been a leader in paediatric cardiology for over 85 years. In the 1940s, Dr Helen Taussig began training fellows in paediatric cardiology at Johns Hopkins at a time when the diagnosis and treatment of CHD were in the earliest stage. Under her leadership, the fellowship developed a strong foundation that has continued to evolve to meet the current needs of learners and educators. In the current era, the Johns Hopkins programme implements the current theories of adult education and actively engages our fellows in learning as well as teaching. The programme uses techniques such as flipped classroom, structured case-based small-group learning, observed and structured clinical examination, simulations, and innovative educational technology. These strategies combined with our faculty and rich history give our fellows a unique educational experience.

Victor McKusick and his short course

The Short Course in Human and Mammalian Genetics and Genomics (aka the "Short Course" or the "Bar Harbor course") is one of Victor McKusick's landmark contributions to medical genetics. Conceived in 1959 as a way to increase the contribution of genetic advances to medicine, it has directly affected more than 7000 students and 600 participating faculty from around the world. Now, more than 10 years after his death, it continues to be a vibrant disseminator of genetics, and genomics knowledge for medicine, a catalytic agent for ongoing research and a source of collegiality in our field. What an extraordinary gift!

Precedent for the Present: Neurosurgery During the 1918 Wartime Influenza Pandemic

In the early twentieth century, early neurosurgical pioneers marked their claims in the specialty during the combined threats of the Spanish influenza and World War I. Their stories, intimately connected, demonstrate personal and professional losses in the backdrop of overarching perseverance to achieve that which allowed neurosurgery to evolve into modernity. Today, as global order adapts to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-COVID-19) pandemic, their stories provide an opportunity for reflection as we carve our way forward as a specialty.

The Flexner Report--100 years later

The Flexner Report of 1910 transformed the nature and process of medical education in America with a resulting elimination of proprietary schools and the establishment of the biomedical model as the gold standard of medical training. This transformation occurred in the aftermath of the report, which embraced scientific knowledge and its advancement as the defining ethos of a modern physician. Such an orientation had its origins in the enchantment with German medical education that was spurred by the exposure of American educators and physicians at the turn of the century to the university medical schools of Europe. American medicine profited immeasurably from the scientific advances that this system allowed, but the hyper-rational system of German science created an imbalance in the art and science of medicine. A catching-up is under way to realign the professional commitment of the physician with a revision of medical education to achieve that purpose.

Explicating the implicit: An Australian medical student's reflection on the Perspectives of Psychiatry Program for International Learners (PoPPIL)

BackgroundMedical schools are essential in promoting psychiatry as an appealing career, especially amid workforce shortages and prevailing negative perceptions that deter interest in the field. Research suggests that increasing mentorship opportunities and access to enrichment programs and electives can significantly improve attitudes towards psychiatry, encouraging more to consider it as a career path.ObjectiveTo reflect on an Australian medical student's experience in the Perspectives of Psychiatry Program for International Learners (PoPPIL) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, demonstrating how the program, based on its structured multi-perspective framework, serves as an example of an enrichment activity that aligns with these recommendations.ConclusionThe PoPPIL serves as a compelling model for integrating enrichment activities and mentorship within psychiatric education. Participants engage in discourse-driven learning, encouraging reflection on diagnostic formulations and explication of inherent reasoning processes. By establishing its foundations on an adaptable, conceptually sound framework, the PoPPIL aims to facilitate the development of psychiatrists who are holistic and integrative in their daily practice. Integrating educational opportunities such as these into Australia's psychiatric curricula may prove advantageous for future generations.

Mildred Codding (1902-1991): Neurosurgery Medical Illustrator at Harvard Medical School, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, and Boston's Children Hospital

BACKGROUND

This historical account reviews the life and times of Mildred Codding (1902-1991) in neurosurgery and medical illustration.

METHODS

The writing of this project was sparked by the discovery of original scientific and bibliographical information about Codding, testimony on personal relationships, and viewpoints after comprehensive compilation of information.

RESULTS

Mildred Codding learned the carbon dust technique from Max Brödel at the Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland USA), and worked at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, now Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts, USA). Codding was Dr. Cushing's medical illustrator, colleague, and friend. She provided photographs, diagrams, and sketches for the majority of Cushing's collection of intracranial tumors from 1929 to 1932. A 1991 interview of Codding was hosted by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital for the permanent collection of the Archives of the American Association of Neurologic Surgeons and provides additional photographs and insignia, drawings with pen and ink method, multistepped layering, and illustration implements. Importantly, the Brigham Surgical Alumni insignia showing a surgeon's hand with scalpel was modeled after Codding's left hand. Outside of the operating room, Codding's interests included Pediatrics, Zoology and Genetics, atlantes of surgical operations, teatime, and paint with watercolor, particularly seascapes, lighthouses and dunes.

CONCLUSIONS

This article provides glimpses into the personality and marked influence of Mildred Codding on neurosurgery and medical education and adds to the growing literature on her person.

Recognizing and Serving Military Families in Your Community

Providers who are not in proximity to military bases or posts cannot assume that they do not have military-connected families in their practices. Military families face many unique challenges and risks. It is important that civilian providers support the physical and psychological well-being of this population.

The Giants of Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins: Lawrence E Shulman, MD, PhD and Mary Betty Stevens, MD

Drs Lawrence E. Shulman and Mary Betty Stevens were the giants of rheumatology at Johns Hopkins during the latter half of the twentieth century. Together, they made immense contributions to our knowledge of systemic lupus erythematosus as well as other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, provided excellent clinical care to thousands of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and trained almost 100 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom went on to highly successful careers in academic medicine, including the Directors of Divisions of Rheumatology and the Chairs of Departments of Medicine.