The World of Biomedicine, in Brief
Q: What prompted the stereotype of psychiatrists medicating children at the drop of a hat?
A: Some psychiatrists take money from drug companies for giving lectures about medication, or even allow drug companies to ghostwrite medical journal papers for them. This creates the impression of a conflict of interest. It also adds to impressions that medicines are sometimes prescribed for the wrong reasons and that kids are getting too much care. In fact, there’s a dearth of children’s mental health providers.
A Firewalker's Heart
Researchers found that a stroll over hot coals affects not just the person doing it, but the loved ones looking on as well.
The Ethical Investigator
In 1966, the anaesthetist-in-chief of Massachusetts General Hospital published a paper that would yield greater protection for clinical trial subjects.
The Genome’s Dark Matter
From architecture to function, the ENCODE project's researchers are filling in the gaps in our understanding of human genetics.
When Social Ills Become Medical
To treat her young patients, Nadine Burke uses research on how adverse childhood experiences affect health.
Apnea: Sleep, Interrupted
Repeatedly waking up costs sufferers not only a good night's rest, but their health and money as well.
Cheating the System
From mishandled stolen shipments to repackaged fakes to scammers diluting medications, there are multiple ways phony pharmaceuticals get in the supply chain.
Social Media: Policing Physicians Online
Doctors use Facebook and Twitter just like the rest of the public, but their participation brings ethical and legal risks.
CPC: The Path to Diagnosis
A century ago, MGH pathologist Richard Cabot made an event out of physicians identifying illnesses—and greatly improved diagnostic methods as a result.
Let’s suppose a serious illness affected 8% or more of the U.S. population and caused 2.1 million emergency room visits in 2009. Despite this apparent epidemic, most U.S. medical schools devote no more than a few days of training to this illness, and most patients admitted to the hospital with the problem never receive a diagnosis. The illness is addiction.
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Tune in to Proto: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Medicine on ReachMD. Host Dr. Bruce Bloom interviews Mass General experts about evidence-based medicine, hormone therapy and more.
12: Millions of Americans who in the 1990s were persistently plagued by tinnitus (from the Latin tinnire, “to ring”): a ringing in the ears or perception of sound where none is present
