The Apology of Aristides

The Apology

This is the second issue featuring a selected piece from the Yale Internal Medicine Residency Program's Writers' Workshop. The annual workshop began in 2003. Abraham Verghese and Richard Selzer, among the best known physician-writers in the United States, have served as workshop leaders, teaching the craft of writing to more than 35 residents. In designing the workshop, Anna B. Reisman, assista...

Apology

An Apology

Aristides Leão's discovery of cortical spreading depression.

This essay looks at the historical significance of three APS classic papers that are freely available online: Leão AAP. Spreading depression of activity in the cerebral cortex. J Neurophysiol 7: 359–390, 1944 (http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/7/6/359). Leão AAP. Pial circulation and spreading depression of activity in the cerebral cortex. J Neurophysiol 7: 391–396, 1944 (http://jn.physiolog...

Greenpeace Apology

Background. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in single hematopoietic cells, muscle fibers, oocytes, and from tiny amount of tumor tissues and degraded clinical specimens has been reported in many medical publications. External DNA contamination, notoriously difficult to avoid, threatens the integrity of such studies. Methodology/Principal Findings. Employing a phylogenetic approach, we analy...