Alice Ball was an African American chemist who developed an injectable oil extract which became the treatment for leprosy until the 1940s. While chaulmoogra oil had previously been used for leprosy, the treatments were ineffective and rife with challenges. Alice revolutionized the application method and made the oil injectable. Shortly after her discovery at the […]
By Delthia Ricks On New Year’s Day in 1922, a scientific paper in an obscure medical journal described a drug that would help revolutionize the treatment of leprosy in Hawaii and beyond. It would also give belated credit to the drug’s developer. The report, by Harry Hollmann, extolled the therapeutic potential of chaulmoogra oil, originally a […]
By Claire Frankland Poster using the Red Ribbon symbol The Red Ribbon is synonymous with raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, and those living with the disease. The ribbon was designed by the New York based Visual AIDS Artists’ Caucus in 1991 as a symbol to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. It was not trademarked and was not designed to be […]
The red ribbon has become an internationally recognized symbol for AIDS awareness, worn by people throughout the year in support of people living with HIV and in remembrance of those who have died. On 1 December this year, people around the world will be pinning on their red ribbons as they commemorate World AIDS Day. […]
By Peter Grinspoon, MD Cannabidiol (CBD) is often covered in the media, and you may see it touted as an add-in booster to your post-workout smoothie or morning coffee. You can even buy a CBD-infused sports bra. But what exactly is CBD? And why is it so popular? How is cannabidiol different from marijuana, […]
With more than 150,000 species of fungi (and perhaps a million or more yet to discover), there’s an ever-growing area of interest in the potential effects fungi have on humans. In fact, fungi have long been used in tinctures, herbal remedies and tonic foods because of their benefits in traditional Chinese medicine and other Eastern medical practices. These […]
What is mpox (monkeypox)? Mpox (or monkeypox) is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral infection which can spread between people and occasionally from the environment to people via things and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox. In settings where the monkeypox virus is present among some […]
By Simar Bajaj Monkeypox has become the latest public health emergency in the United States, but historically speaking, most Americans have not been familiar with the virus. Since monkeypox was first identified in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, Africa has faced dozens of outbreaks. But monkeypox rarely spread outside the continent, aside from […]
What is Biostatistics? Biostatistics bridges the gap between living organisms and quantifiable data. It is the process of analyzing health and biological data. Biostatisticians are crucial in clinical trials, epidemiology and public health. In clinical trials, Biostatisticians analyze the trial participant’s data. In epidemiology and public health, the study of the exact way in which […]
What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behaviour, aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted. Examples include: spreading lies about or posting embarrassing photos or videos of someone on social […]
