Jun 29, 2018 | Discoveries & Breakthroughs
Nearly all of us know at least one person that has diabetes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 382 million people worldwide currently have diabetes. Diabetes prevents the body from effectively converting carbohydrates in food into energy,...
May 31, 2018 | Plagues & Pathogens
Typhoid fever is a particularly nasty infection caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. The infection causes malaise, abdominal pain, a rash, diarrhoea or constipation, and in severe cases can result in intestinal bleeding and death. Although there are still millions...
Apr 17, 2018 | Plagues & Pathogens
George Washington is, without doubt, one of the world’s most famous historical figures. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American War of Independence, presided over the 1787 convention that drafted the United States Constitution,...
Feb 28, 2018 | Plagues & Pathogens
In 1517 the Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, arrived in Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. The ruler of the Aztecs, Motecuhzoma II, made the Spanish welcome and things were friendly between the Spanish and the Aztecs initially. Two years later...
Jan 23, 2018 | Plagues & Pathogens
In August 1854, Soho in London was struck with a severe cholera outbreak. Cholera is a gastrointestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is still prevalent in areas with inadequate sanitation and poor food and water hygiene and remains a major...
Dec 15, 2017 | Discoveries & Breakthroughs
I sometimes take antibiotics for granted. As a doctor, I have prescribed thousands of courses of antibiotics throughout my career. I have taken many courses myself also, and they almost certainly saved my life when I perforated my appendix in my mid-20s. Antibiotics...
Nov 13, 2017 | Plagues & Pathogens
Germ warfare is defined as “the use of biological toxins or infectious agents with the intent to kill or incapacitate as an act of war.” These biological agents are quite literally used as deadly living weapons. Germ warfare is by no means a modern concept, and...
Oct 2, 2017 | Surgery & The Knife
War’s only silver lining is to advance medical understanding. During World War 2, eye injuries sustained by pilots led to the subsequent transformation of cataract surgery, ophthalmologist Sir Harold Ridley being so struck by the way that the human eye could tolerate...
Aug 16, 2017 | Medical Pioneers
The Royal College of Physicians is a U.K. based, internationally recognised, professional body that is dedicated to the improvement of medical practice and patient care. It is also the oldest royal medical college in the world. In 2006 I became a member of the Royal...
Jul 28, 2017 | Discoveries & Breakthroughs
The tendon hammer is one of the most historically resilient medical instruments still in use today. It is a simple yet invaluable device that can be used to diagnose a wide variety of nervous system and muscular disorders. Almost 130 years after the invention of the...
