Medicine
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Phineas Gage: An Accidental First in Neuroscience
After the accident, Phineas became unruly and unreliable; using profane language and changing his mind at every turn.
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Brooklyn Bridge History: The first crossing of the East River
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Jonas Salk’s 100th Birthday
The History of Polio is forever and inextricably linked with Jonas Salk . Salk’s eagerly anticipated achievement of inoculation against the much feared polio virus was made public on April 12, 1955 Not long after the announcement of the success of the Salk Vaccine , Jonas appeared in what would become a well-known television interview with Edward R. Murrow. When Murrow asked why he did not obtain a patent on his medical discovery, Salk famously said in response, “Would you patent the sun?” His response left the impression that it was a morally motivated decline on Salk’s part that resulted in an unpatented invention. But there are other details that point to the possibility of an altogether different reason having less to do with…
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Ebola Virus: One of Its Most Deadly Forms
The history of the Ebola virus is believed to date back to the beginning of our planet, though it was only first discovered in 1976. A clue that indicates an ancient origin is that the molecule’s genetic code is one of the most primitive and ancient having a single strand of RNA. The Hot Zone The recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, upon careful DNA analysis, is determined to be of the most deadly of the Ebola viruses known as the Zaire strain. This version of the Ebola virus typically kills up to 80 percent of the victims it infects. The name is derived from the 1976 outbreak in northern Zaire; for the…
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The Bubonic Plague is Alive and Well
When we think of the plague, we imagine ages gone by, the middle ages in particular, safely contained inside the texts of detailed accounts in history books. Most of us don’t associate the plague with current times, but the truth is 10 to 20 people in the United States contract plague each year. In fact, infected mice from a lab in New Jersey escaped in 2005 and have never been found. In the news recently, we are warned of an increased risk of ancient diseases thawing back into existence; the Bubonic plague being one. An example is a 30,000 year old virus that has been brought back to life from its Siberian permafrost…
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The Black Death
Timeline 430 B.C.- During the second year of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides writes about a disease that is believed to have been the Plague 540 A.D.- An outbreak of Plague occurs at Pelusium, Egypt. 542 A.D.- Plague reaches Constantinople. 1334- Plague occurs in Constantinople 1339-1346- The famine occurs. This goes on for seven years and is known as “the famine before the plague.” 1347- The Black Plague began spreading through Western Europe Fall 1347- Reports of the plague are recorded in Alexandria, Cyprus, and Sicily. Winter 1347- Plague then reaches Italy. Jan. 1348- Next, the plague reaches France and Germany. 1349- 1/3 of the population in Western Europe was dead…
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SARS Virus
Tracking SARS back to its source January 2006 The previously unknown SARS virus generated widespread panic in 2002 and 2003 when the airborne germ caused 774 deaths and more than 8000 cases of illness. But where did this mystery virus come from? Scientists immediately suspected that it had jumped to humans from some other organism. In May of 2003, attention focused in on cat-like mammals called civets. Infected civets were discovered at a live animal market in southern China (where they are occasionally eaten). However, since further searches failed to turn up more tainted civets, scientists concluded that they were not the original source of SARS and continued their quest.…
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New Virus Related to Ebola and Rabies
By Maggie Fox, NBC News A virus that killed two teenagers in Congo in 2009 is a completely new type, related to rabies but causing the bleeding and rapid death that makes Ebola infection so terrifying, scientists reported on Thursday. They’re searching for the source of the virus, which may be transmitted by insects or bats. The new virus is being named Bas-Congo virus, for the area where it was found. Researchers are finding more and more of these new viruses, in part because new tests make it possible, but also in the hope of better understanding them so they can prevent pandemics of deadly disease. The virus infected a…
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Meningitis Questions
Need a cheat sheet to help keep it all straight? The CDC thinks you should remember 10 easy bullet points about this surprisingly complex disease. Here they are: 1. There are five “types” of meningitis. Meningitis may develop in response to a number of causes, usually bacteria or viruses, but meningitis can also be caused by physical injury, cancer or certain drugs. The five “types” of meningitis are: Bacterial Meningitis Viral Meningitis Fungal Meningitis Parasitic Meningitis Non-infectious Meningitis The severity of illness and the treatment for meningitis differ depending on the cause. Thus, it is important to know the specific cause of meningitis. For the ongoing outbreak of fungal meningitis…
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Beware in Denver Salads sold at Safeway recalled due to Salmonella risk
DENVER – The department of Public Health and Environment is recalling grape tomatoes sold in Colorado due to Salmonella risk. The recalled tomatoes were used in pre-packaged salads made by Taylor Farms Pacific for several stores. However, in Colorado, only products sold at Safeway stores are included in the recall. According to a Safeway representative, the recalled products were pulled from store shelves on Sat. April 30. No illnesses have been reported. The following Signature Café products sold at Safeway stores in Colorado are included in the recall: – Chef salad in 11-oz. plastic trays with use by dates of 4/30/2011-5/5/2011 and UPC code 21130-06252 – Cobb salad in12-oz. plastic…
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Ebola Virus Outbreaks Table
Known Cases and Outbreaks of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, in Chronological Order Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ Year(s) Country Ebola subtype Reported no. of human cases Reported no. (%) of deaths among cases Situation Download PDF version formatted for print (81 KB/7 pages)