Susan L. Perkins and Rob DeSalle— Though it might sound very unappetizing, many animals eat their own feces (or poop). For example, rabbits do it to help them to break down grasses, which are difficut to digest. Unlike cows and their relatives that chew a regurgitated “cud” of grass, rabbits
Rachael Coakley— The recent FDA decision to approve the use of OxyContin for children ages 11–17 has raised heated controversy from politicians, parents, and pediatric providers alike. OxyContin, a highly concentrated, slow-release opioid can offer twelve hours of continuous pain coverage. When OxyContin was first approved for adult chronic pain
Lara V. Marks— August 2015 marks the fortieth anniversary of the creation of monoclonal antibodies (Mabs). Invisible to the naked eye, Mabs are laboratory-produced antibodies derived from the millions of antibodies the body makes every day to fight foreign invaders. Since their birth, Mabs have radically transformed understandings about the
Olivia Weisser— As a historian of medicine, I have spent a significant amount of time combing through first-hand accounts of illness. My work focuses on the 1600s and 1700s, so much of these first-hand accounts are recorded in personal writing like diaries and letters. Over the years, I noticed a
The New Republic has printed an insightful appraisal of famed historian Hugh Trevor-Roper’s capstone work, Europe’s Physician. Reviewer Peter Miller points out that doctors can provide a unique historical window into politics because of their trusted status, proximity to power, and necessary philosophical balancing of science, religion and humanity. “[I]t