History’s Worst Plagues
Plagues can wipe out entire populations and create fear and great mystery in how they spread. An author who has explored plagues and dangerous diseases explains.
Philosophy and Ethics Sub-categories:
The Pros and Cons of Mobile Health Apps
Mobile health apps are becoming very popular, though some are being shown to have little benefit. Few barriers exist to almost anyone entering the field whether they have health expertise or not. Privacy is also a concern. Experts discuss how people can protect themselves and find apps that do what they want.
Genetic and Genomic Testing
When most of us think of genetic testing for health, we imagine tests to detect whether we’ve inherited genes that predispose us for cancer or other serious disease. But another kind of gene testing—genomic testing of tumor cells for their susceptibility to targeted treatments—is giving thousands of people hope of survival they’ve never had before. Experts …
Why Parents Don’t Vaccinate
Measles had been declared eliminated in 2000, but has come roaring back because of the increasing number of people who have not been vaccinated. Parents may have legitimate fears of side effects, but claims vaccines are unsafe are not true. Experts discuss the complicated psychological reasons vaccine refusal exists despite this, and what may help change …
Rethinking Dementia (2018)
Dementia has a much wider range than most people think, and people with dementia are usually functional for years. An expert discusses the course of the disease and how life can still be positive for years before it reaches the late, debilitating stage most people think of when they hear the word “dementia.”
Medical Notes: Week of March 10, 2019
A new study finds that the active ingredient in antibacterial soaps can actually be making bacterial able to withstand medications. Then, a study suggests enlarged prostates appear to prevent colon cancer. And finally, using apps to chart your health and how these shadow health records can tip off a lot about your health to savvy data gatherers.
Research Ethics: How Far Have We Come?
In the mid-1960s, many Ivy League and Seven Sister colleges as well as prestigious prep schools allowed researchers to photograph incoming students naked as part of work on a now-discredited theory linking physical characteristics to leadership potential. A former student who went through it, now a physician and writer, discusses how research ethics have …
When Law Enforcement and Trauma Care Collide
Many patients arrive in the emergency room as a result of violence or car crashes—events in which police have an investigative interest. Sometimes, police needs clash with trauma care, and priorities are hashed out case by case. Experts discuss which priorities come first and when, and the procedures needed to smooth out sometimes contentious interaction.
When Does Genetic Engineering Go Too Far? (2019)
Advancements in genetic science are often clouded in ethical controversy. Often, scientists are accused of “playing God.” Experts discuss a new platform where scientists and public can debate it, and from which education can be disseminated.
Xenotransplantation–Organ From Other Species
After attempts to use non-human primates as a source of scarce organs for transplant, doctors have turned to pigs for a variety of reasons. They’re now making great progress against the largest hurdle—rejection. One of the world’s foremost xenotransplantation experts discusses how the process might work and what the future might look like for millions of …
The Good and Bad of Medical Crowdfunding (2018)
Medical campaigns account for a third of monies raised on crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe, and many people who’ve fallen through the holes of the safety net have been helped this way. But new studies show that fraud is rampant in crowdfunding, with fake patients and medical providers who all too eager to take money for worthless treatment. Experts discuss …
Gene Research and Our Medical Future (2018)
Gene research has made incredible leaps in the last decade. A physician/Pulitzer-prize winning author explains what our new knowledge means for our immediate medical future, given our struggles with genetic knowledge in the past.
