Author: All This
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One ‘n’ short of a unicorn
Welcome to the circus of UNICOR, where the government plays ringmaster and inmates are the unwilling performers! Picture this: It’s 1934, the Great Depression is in full swing, and FDR decides, “Hey, why not solve unemployment by enslaving prisoners?” And voila! Federal Prison Industries is born, later rebranding as UNICOR because nothing says “we’re totally…
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Reconstructing slavery again and again
The red flags indicate red flags. Any serious movement to abolish slavery must stand firm in its conviction that there can be no compromise when it comes to human freedom. All forms of slavery and involuntary servitude must be eradicated without exception. Throughout history, attempts to abolish slavery have been undermined by loopholes, exceptions, and…
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Human Branding
As with livestock, a mark burned into the skin for identification purposes. Human branding comes up routinely in slavery and crime and punishment so we will make some notes.
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Dr. Leo Stanley
Let it be known throughout the land that Dr. Leo Leonidas Stanley, a man of most peculiar proclivities, did preside over San Quentin’s medical realm from the year of our Lord 1913 to 1951. This self-proclaimed surgeon, bereft of true surgical experience, did embark upon a crusade most bizarre. With a scalpel in his hand…
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The other founding fathers: the SUPERINTENDENTS of insanity
Picture this: While the rest of America was busy manifesting destiny, these thirteen madcap mind-menders were cooking up a scheme to rule the nation’s noggins. They met in Philadelphia, because where else would you start a revolution of the psyche? It’s like they looked at the Founding Fathers and thought, “Pfft, amateurs. Watch this!” These…
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Benjamin Rush: The Founding Father of American Psychiatry
Benjamin Rush (1746-1813) wasn’t just a signer of the Declaration of Independence; he was also a pioneering physician who laid the groundwork for modern psychiatry in America. Born near Philadelphia to Quaker parents, Rush received his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1768 before returning to Philadelphia to establish his practice. As a civic…
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The Goldwater Rule: A Tale of Psychiatric Scandals and Ethics
This is the tale of the Goldwater Rule that proves sometimes the doctors are crazier than the patients! In the sweltering summer of 1964, the psychiatric community found itself at the center of a scandal that would shake the very foundations of professional ethics. Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate for president, was about to become…
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Johann Christian Reil: The Mad Genius Who Coined “Psychiatry”
Johann Christian Reil (1759–1813) wasn’t your average 18th-century doctor. He was the kind of guy who looked at the chaos of the human mind and thought, “You know what this needs? A whole new field of medicine.” And so, in 1808, he coined the term “psychiatry”—a word derived from the Greek psyche (soul) and iatreia (healing), meaning “the healing…
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Donald Ewen Cameron: The Man Who Put the “Shock” in Shock Therapy
Buckle up, buttercups, for the wild ride that is Donald Ewen Cameron. Born in 1901 in Scotland, little Donnie Cameron grew up dreaming of being a doctor. But why cure boring old diseases when you can play God with people’s minds? By the 1950s, our boy Ewen had climbed the psychiatric ladder faster than you…
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Egas Moniz: The Controversial Father of Psychosurgery
António Caetano de Abreu Freire Egas Moniz (1874-1955) was a Portuguese neurologist who left an indelible, if controversial, mark on the field of psychiatry. Born in Avanca, Portugal, Moniz studied medicine at the University of Coimbra, graduating in 1899. Moniz’s career was multifaceted: -Professor of Neurology at the University of Lisbon (1911-1944) -Politician and diplomat,…
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The Dark Side of the Scalpel: A Sinister History of Prison Plastic Surgery
In the shadows of correctional facilities, a chilling chapter of medical history unfolded – one that modern narratives conveniently gloss over. Prison plastic surgery programs, far from being benign attempts at rehabilitation, were rooted in disturbing practices that blurred the lines between science and sadism. The Beautification Delusion The origins of these programs stretch back…
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Gaspare Tagliacozzi – the man who gave “drop-dead gorgeous” a whole new meaning
Meet Gaspare Tagliacozzi, the 16th-century Italian surgeon who decided that noses were overrated as mere breathing apparatus and should double as art projects. This Renaissance Picasso of the scalpel made a name for himself by turning the faces of Bologna’s elite into his personal canvas. Tagliacozzi’s magnum opus, “On the Surgery of Mutilation by Grafting,”…
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Tree Huggers: When Nature Takes It Literally
In the quiet corners of forests worldwide, trees are engaging in their own version of romance. It’s called inosculation, and it is nature’s answer to the artificial process of grafting. Inosculation and grafting are like botanical cousins. Both involve the fusion of plant tissues, creating a single, stronger organism. While grafting is a human-engineered process,…
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Omenn Syndrome: When Your Body Throws Its Own Surprise Party
Imagine your immune system as an overzealous party planner, but instead of organizing a fun bash, it’s staging a revolt against your own body. Welcome to the world of Omenn syndrome, where your T cells decide to go rogue and treat your organs like they’re uninvited guests. These rebellious T cells, armed with mutant RAG…
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The Lady Who Brought Pox to the Party
Picture this: It’s 1717, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu is living her best life in Constantinople, sipping Turkish coffee and learning about the latest beauty trends when she stumbles upon a local practice that would change medical history forever. Instead of bringing back exotic spices or fancy rugs, she decides to import something truly wild…
