Amnesia, Adverse Effects, and the Angel of History
Authors: Jeremy A. Greene
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2019)

Editorials17 September 2019Amnesia, Adverse Effects, and the Angel of HistoryJeremy A. Greene, MD, PhDJeremy A. Greene, MD, PhDJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (J.A.G.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M19-2528 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In an essay published after his death in 1940, the German-Jewish philosopher Walter Benjamin recalled a painting of an angel that appeared to be moving away from something it was regarding with keen attention. "This is how one pictures the angel of history," Benjamin observed:His face is turned toward the past. Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing in from Paradise; ...References1. Benjamin W. Theses on the philosophy of history. In: Arendt H, ed. Zohn H, trans, eds. Illuminations: Essays and Reflections. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1968. Google Scholar2. Leslie BR, Gerwin LE, Taylor SI. Sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors: lack of a complete history delays diagnosis. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171:421-6. doi:10.7326/M19-1463 LinkGoogle Scholar3. Sneader W. Drug Prototypes and Their Exploitation. New York: J Wiley; 1996. Google Scholar4. Kolata G. Johns Hopkins admits fault in fatal experiment. The New York Times. 17 July 2001. Google Scholar5. Savulescu J, Spriggs M. The hexamethonium asthma study and the death of a normal volunteer in research. J Med Ethics. 2002;28:3-4. [PMID: 11834748] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Greene JA, Lea AS. Digital futures past — the long arc of big data in medicine. N Engl J Med. 2019;381:480-5. [PMID: 31365808] doi:10.1056/NEJMms1817674 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Proctor RN, Schiebinger L. Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance. Palo Alto: Stanford Univ Pr; 2008. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (J.A.G.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M19-2528.Corresponding Author: Jeremy A. Greene, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1900 East Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21205; e-mail, [email protected]edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSodium–Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors: Lack of a Complete History Delays Diagnosis Bruce R. Leslie , Leslie E. Gerwin , and Simeon I. Taylor Annals On Call - SGLT2 Inhibitor–Associated Ketoacidosis—A History Lesson Robert M. Centor and Bruce R. Leslie Metrics Cited bySignal Management in Pharmacovigilance: A Review of Activities and Case Studies 17 September 2019Volume 171, Issue 6Page: 434-435KeywordsAdverse eventsAmnesiaDisclosureDrugsFood and Drug AdministrationForecastingMorbidityMortalityStormsToxicity ePublished: 17 September 2019 Issue Published: 17 September 2019 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2019 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...