History of Medicine

Following up on my last few posts on the importance of informed consent in medical research, I wanted to dig deeper into the practice of clinical trials and patients' rights in medical research. The concept of informed consent, the basis of which is the stipulation that people will make the right choice for their own health and wellness, is a well-established principle of bioethics. However, it is less clear about its prevalence in public health, and the recent covid-19 pandemic has further stoked discussions about patients' rights and value of consent in the face of a global health event. The DNA genetic testing company, 23andMe, has also demonstrated how consent is an obstruction to researchers’ ability to use and exploit personal data. It is known that the company's primary goal is to gather genetic data that can then be used for research. However, the company has feined an interest in empowering individuals to take control of their own health, and used that for their ma

As I wrote in my previous post, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in 2021, amidst much fanfare, the successful conclusion of a pilot program for the malaria vaccine developed by GSK and that it was recommending a broad rollout in Africa. A nurse with the new malaria vaccine. Image courtesy: Gavi While the decision marked a landmark victory in the fight against malaria, a disease that has plagued humans since the origins of mankind, it was not without criticism, including from the well-respected Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has funded part of the research into the vaccine.  The vaccine, known as RTS,S and developed by GSK, requires four doses to achieve a rather dismal efficacy of 30%. Despite it not meeting (or even coming close to) WHO's set goal of 75% efficacy, the organization gave the vaccine its full backing and support, even pushing forward with a pilot study in four African countries with nearly a million participants.  Critics have pointed out the l

“Over millennia, its victims have included Neolithic dwellers, early Chinese and Greeks, princes, and paupers.”  Few ailments have reigned over mankind for centuries like malaria. Responsible for over half a million deaths each year, with 2/3rds of those being children under the age of five, the disease has claimed between 150 million and 300 million lives in the last century alone. Almost 5% of deaths in the 20th century have been attributed to malaria, according to Carter and Mendis, 2002. It is also spread throughout the globe, with 40% of the world's population living in areas where malaria is still a threat. However, about 95% of cases and deaths in 2021 belonged to sub-Saharan Africa. Given the significant threat to human lives that malaria presents, the prospect of a vaccine that could eradicate the disease from our populations is extremely attractive. Not only from a humanitarian viewpoint, but a medical one too, as it would herald a new age of health and medicine. However,

Malaria and Western Colonialism are intricately involved in history, with each having a profound effect on the other. As I wrote in an earlier post, it was the fear of malaria that protected Africa from colonization for many centuries. Labeling it the "white man's grave," European colonizers shunned the continent because of the high mortality rate suffered by Europeans who were not naturally immunized against African diseases like malaria. However, with the discovery of quinine in the 1850's, the Europeans finally found a way to combat the deadly disease, and the entire continent was colonized within thirty years. Quinine had such a far-reaching effect on the African subcontinent that it is often termed "the cure that changed the world." Map showing presence of malaria in Africa Colonization led to export of human labor from Africa, and with that, the export of malaria. Just as malaria had kept colonization out of Africa before, now colonization helped sprea

The face mask became ubiquitous during the covid-19 pandemic, but its history dates long before it became one of the most politically charged controversies of 2020. In fact, it was well-known and widely used by both medical personnel and the public during the 1918 flu pandemic and also became common in China and Korea during the SARS outbreak. Red Cross nurses wearing face masks during 1918 pandemic  But it had made an appearance centuries ago, as long back as the 1600s. Thanks to the miasma theory of disease, which attributed diseases to bad air, people often tried to protect themselves with cloth coverings on their faces during epidemics or while tending to the sick. The idea was the same as today's mask use but without an understanding of germs. This was most stark during the various plague outbreaks. Plague masks became common in the 1600s and were worn by doctors while treating the infected. The plague masks were however, rather comical with long elongated beaks and two nostri

Today on calendae Ianuariae , or first day of January, we celebrate the beginning of a new year. The Latin word Calendae means the first day of every month in the Roman calendar. (Rather obvious is the English word "calendar" that is derived from it.) Ianuarius is the month of January, named after Janus, the Roman god of all beginnings and origins, the guardian of doors, gateways, and passages, and the patron of agreements and alliances. There is no equivalent god to Janus in Greek mythology.  Two-faced Janus God looking backwards and forward Calendae Ianuariae became significant in 153 BC when Julius Caesar added two months before March to better align with the solar cycle. On this day, Roman consuls took office (instead of the traditional Ides of March as done earlier).  Julian calendar with the two additional months added before March On this Calendae Ianuariae, let's toast to new beginnings, new pathways, and a new future filled with limitless possibilities! Novus Ann

This summer, I got the opportunity of a lifetime with my internship at a renowned neurology lab at MGH. I am learning so much, not just about scientific processes and research procedures, but also about Alzheimer's disease, a terrible disease afflicting over 35 million people worldwide. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive (and currently incurable) brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually leading to the inability to carry out even the most basic tasks such as walking and dressing. The lab focuses on the pathological pathway to Alzheimer’s disease, which is still not fully understood. More about my lab research can be found at https://www.massgeneral.org/neurology/research/tanzi-lab-genetics-and-aging.  Alzheimer's disease was first studied by (and is named after) Dr. Alois Alzheimer who was treating a patient with mental illness with severe memory loss, language problems, and unpredictable behavior.  After her death in 1906, Dr. Alzheimer exami