The Royal Physician Who Lost His Head for the Queen and the Enlightenment
n 1770, J.F. Struensee rose from royal physician to “de facto” regent of Denmark and, in just two years, pushed through radical reforms in line with the Enlightenment. When his affair with the Queen became known, he was beheaded in 1772. Although his reforms were reversed, his legacy endures in today’s progressive Denmark.
Black Legends and Virtuous Histories of the Americas
The story of the arrival of the smallpox vaccine in Hispanic America is fascinating, as is the life of the heroic group that carried out the life-saving mission. Furthermore, it stands in stark contrast to the biological warfare of the British army in the Great Lakes region and serves to stop fueling “black legends.”
Paradoxes of “Dignified Death”
There are several contradictions within the debate on euthanasia, contrasting modern medicine’s success in prolonging life with the contemporary tendency to seek assisted death in the face of suffering. Examples include therapeutic obstinacy versus the desire to control the end of existence, and the dehumanization inherent in comparing a dignified death to the putting down of animals. Likewise, caring for the elderly and the terminally ill offers an opportunity for spiritual and human growth. Finally, concepts such as “quality of life” are relative to each culture and, from a Christian perspective, the natural process of dying and the mystery of pain hold a profound value.
Lourdes
Lourdes is much more than the 72 miracles certified in 167 years since the apparitions of the Virgin to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Lourdes, an important Christian destination, is characterized by its purifying water, its spiritual climate of peace and ceremonies such as the torchlight procession.
In addition to physical healings, the author experienced personal “other miracles”: a reunion with a Bolivian friend in Paris, an unexpected seat at a packed Mass with cancer survivors like himself, and the miraculous recovery of a lost hearing aid. A prayer for the healing of Bolivia from populism could not be missing, trusting in a change with the new government.