My Blog
Unexpected Medical Museums
You’re going on vacation this summer, aren’t you? If you’re like me and enjoy medical history (the more obscure the better), be on the lookout for unexpected boutique medical museums. They are everywhere. Tucked inside big museums, on their own in tourist towns,...
Doctor Dan the Bandage Man
When I was a little girl, my favorite book was Doctor Dan the Bandage Man, a Little Golden Book. Do you remember it? Dan helps Mother, his sister, even the family dog, when they get cuts and need Band-Aids. I knew I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up, so this book...
A Southern Medical Device AND Courtship Aid
A Southern Medical Device AND Courtship Aid If you’re from the South, or have spent any time in Charleston, SC, you know what a joggling board is. We have one on our Atlanta patio, a gift years ago from my proper Southern in-laws. But I never knew it was originally a...
Surprising Medical Advances During Wartime
Today is Memorial Day, the day we set aside to honor Americans who died in active military service. War is always horrible, but historians tell us that the attempt to save many lives during wars has always led to innovative technologies and new skills that have helped...
The Measles Stories You’ve Never Heard
Measles is very much in the news lately, so I feel compelled to write about it. Nope, I’m not going to get into the vaccination discussion; Instead, I’m going to tell you how measles changed history and impacted our lives in ways we don’t realize. It was not until...
A Long Easter Weekend Changed Things for Millions of People
Dr Barry Marshall, a young Australian gastroenterologist, was sure peptic ulcers were caused by infection, but he couldn’t prove it. That is, until a long 4-day Easter weekend led to a fateful change in the lab. It was 1982, and the conventional wisdom of the time was...
Bobby Jones- a Golfing Life Cut Short
This week marks the 89th year of the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. The Masters, known for the pristine course, gorgeous azaleas and dogwoods, well-mannered crowd, and unforgettable pimento cheese sandwiches, is the holy grail of golf. Since I...
Darwin and the Big Black Bug
I’ve just gotten back from a terrific trip to the Galapagos Islands, and naturally I’ve been immersed in all things Charles Darwin. That means you’re in for a story about Darwin I suspect you have never heard. We all know about Darwin’s famous 5 year round-the-world...
Happy Mardi Gras! I Think!
I love Mardi Gras and have fond memories of the first time I went. There’s nothing more fun than the parades, the crowds, and the excitement of Mardi Gras. I’ve written about it before. http://annfbeach.com/uncategorized/a-medical-mardi-gras-story/ Being a doctor, I...
Another Dangerous Book
Where am I and what am I doing? I’m in a foreign capital city, deep in a large, beautiful building, wearing a lead apron and gloves. I’ve signed a waiver for anything bad that happens, and I’m getting ready to open a lead-lined box. All because I love books. What’s...