MetaFilter posts tagged with medicine

Sometimes I stay up so late that I have my morning coffee before I go to bed.

nickyskye — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:01:06 -0800

The Sleep Medicine Home Page: A comprehensive links and resources one-pager for both professionals and sufferers, resources regarding all aspects of sleep including, the physiology of sleep, clinical sleep medicine, sleep research, federal and state information, patient information, and business-related groups.

pathos and pathology

nickyskye — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:17 -0800

"Hidden within the basement archives of Yale University's Historical Medical Library lie the original oil painting collection and personal papers of the first American surgeon to practice in China." Extraordinary paintings of compassion in a medical setting. [Warning, these are graphic depictions, some NSFW] Elegant, disturbing and moving portraits of patients by Lam Qua, commissioned by a medical missionary named Peter Parker in the 1830's. [No, not that Peter Parker. Via MeFite tellurian's awesome blog]. Lam Qua and the development of a westernized medical iconography in China. The Reverend Dr Peter Parker, a graduate of Yale, established the first American hospital in Guangzhou (formerly Canton) in 1835 and successfully introduced Western surgical techniques including amputation, anesthesia, and reconstructive surgery. The Mysteries of Lam Qua, Medical Portraiture in China 1836-1855 Lam Qua, a Western-trained Chinese painter who also had workshops in the Thirteen Factories area, was commissioned by Parker to paint pre-operative portraits of patients who had large tumors or other major deformities. Previously.

Medicalisation

homunculus — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:45:44 -0800

The Medicalisation of Everyday Life. "As the pace of medical innovation slows to a crawl, how do drug companies stay in profit? By 'discovering' new illnesses to fit existing products." An extract from Ben Goldacre's new book, Bad Science. [Via]

retrovirally transforming pancreatic cells from adult mice into insulin-producing beta cells

kliuless — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:51:39 -0800

Scientists Repurpose Adult Cells - "Scientists have transformed one type of fully developed adult cell directly into another inside a living animal, a startling advance that could lead to cures for a variety of illnesses and sidestep the political and ethical quagmires associated with embryonic stem cell research." [nature abstract, nature writeup, audio announcement]

Another week, another benefit

Mr_Zero — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:55:03 -0800

We all know that marijuana has some medical uses. It has been discussed on Mefi many times before. Earlier this month a group of pharmacists and chemists published a study in which they found that cannabis is a source of antibacterial chemicals for multidrug resistant bacteria. If you are a pharmacists or chemist here is the actual study. A synopsis of the study for everyone else.

Face transplants possible

NikitaNikita — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:26:30 -0800

Lancet reports say partial face transplants are a reality. Face transplant before and after pictures here.

Mother Seacole

amyms — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:05:42 -0800

When Jamaican-born Mary Seacole, an experienced nurse, volunteered her services to the British Army during the Crimean War, she was rejected. Undaunted, she travelled to Crimea at her own expense and built a "mess-table and comfortable quarters," which she called the "British Hotel," and began taking care of soldiers. Her work was snubbed by Florence Nightingale, who called Seacole "a woman of bad character" and insinuated that the convalescent hotel was little more than a bordello, but Mary was beloved by the men in her care who called her "Mother Seacole." Her autobiography, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands [link goes to full text and illustrations], was published a year after the war ended. Mary, who was feted by high-ranking military men and high-born civilians, went on to other nursing-related pursuits, including a stint as personal masseuse to Alexandra, Princess of Wales. Her work in Crimea was but one highlight in a very interesting life. For more information: Mary Seacole, the Forgotten Nightingale - Part 1, Part 2. [Be sure to have your ad blocker and/or pop-up blocker turned on. I thought the article was worth including, but there may be some annoyances for the unprotected]. Wikpedia has an extensive page on Mary Seacole's life.

Superbugs

homunculus — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:16:02 -0800

Superbugs. "The new generation of resistant infections is almost impossible to treat."

Quantum Xrroid Consciousness Interface, The Musical

jack_mo — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:06:49 -0800

Quack and fugitive from justice Professor Bill Nelson, inventor of the Quantum Xrroid Consciousness Interface, sings of his noble struggle against the evils of conventional medicine! Via Ben "Bad Science" Goldacre. And that's just the trailer for one of Nelson's many autobiographical feature films. (All of which, you'll be glad to know, are hosted by an Angel of God and do not leave a carbon footprint.)

Bad medicine

kid ichorous — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:46:02 -0800

The owner of a California medical marijuana dispensary has been found guilty of violating federal drug laws. [LA Times] FTA: ...jurors had a clear sense that Lynch was not an ordinary street-corner drug dealer, but the fact that he was dispensing medical marijuana didn't matter under federal law. [...] "It was a tough decision for all of us because the state law and the federal law are at odds." Detailed coverage of the trial by Reason TV. Federal raids on California's medical dispensaries were recently featured on MeFi.