In Focus
After Surgery, Less Pain
Changing the norms of surgery may head off the addiction that can take root during recovery.
Surgery should improve the life of a patient. But a widely cited Stanford study from last year discovered that after 11 of the most common operations, patients had an elevated risk of becoming addicted to their painkillers.
When patients leave the hospital, as many as 40% of the opioid medications they’re prescribed aren’t used immediately, according...
In Depth
Dying of Neglect
Tropical diseases thrive little noticed and unaddressed in the poorest areas of the United States.
Dispatches
Near Death, New Life
More children survive cancer, but infertility is often the cost. New techniques offer hope.
Diagnosis on the Go
A portable detection system can identify disease-causing bacteria far from the laboratory.
The Blood Depot
An invention for the battlefields of World War I led to the modern blood transfusion.
Blood Gets an Upgrade
The long search for a blood substitute could take a major step forward this year.
From Mass General
Where Lost Diseases Go
A new, nationwide team of experts gives the toughest medical cases a chance at a breakthrough.
Medical Theater
An artist and physician team up to examine the role of acting in the clinical setting
Charts & Data
Unsound the Alarm
Hundreds of alarms compete for a clinician's attention. Can less noise mean better care?
From MRI to Bronze Sculpture
Artists use medical scans of tumors to make stunning, informative sculptures
