When to not have grapefruit
If you've had an organ transplant, it is best to avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice (it interferes with the anti-rejection drugs in your blood).
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Medicine Facts
Medicine facts and facts about medicines.
29 facts on this shelf
Where was insulin discovered?
Insulin was discovered in 1921 at the University of Toronto by Frederick Banting and Charles Best. It turned diabetes from a death sentence into a treatable condition.
Do chimpanzees use medicine?
Chimpanzees have been observed eating bitter plants that aren't part of their usual diet when they're sick, possibly to treat parasites, an example of animal self-medication.
How did Alexander Fleming discover penicillin?
In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation and noticed that a mold growing in one of his bacteria dishes had killed the bacteria around it. That mold produced penicillin.
Who turned penicillin into a usable medicine?
Howard Florey and Ernst Chain developed penicillin into a usable drug in the early 1940s, and they shared the 1945 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Alexander Fleming.
Who was the first patient treated with penicillin?
In 1941, police officer Albert Alexander became the first patient treated with penicillin. He improved dramatically, but he died after the small supply ran out, even though doctors had been recovering penicillin from his urine to reuse it.
Who won a Nobel Prize for mRNA vaccines?
Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries that made mRNA vaccines possible.
Who proved citrus could cure scurvy?
James Lind showed in a 1747 experiment that citrus fruit could cure scurvy.
Why is helium important for MRI machines?
Liquid helium is used to cool the superconducting magnets in MRI machines.
What is laughing gas?
Laughing gas is nitrous oxide, a compound of nitrogen and oxygen, and chemist Humphry Davy held parties where people inhaled it in the early 1800s.
Does silver kill germs?
Silver is antimicrobial.
Can the brain feel pain?
The brain itself has no pain receptors, which is why some brain surgeries can be done while the patient is awake.
Can a heart beat outside the body?
The heart has its own electrical system, so it can keep beating briefly outside the body as long as it has oxygen.
When was the first human heart transplant?
Surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant in South Africa in 1967.
Can you live with one lung?
A person can live with one lung.
Why do premature babies need surfactant?
Premature babies may need surfactant because their lungs don't yet make enough of it.
Who studied digestion through a hole in a man's stomach?
Doctor William Beaumont studied digestion through a permanent hole in patient Alexis St. Martin's stomach in the 1820s.
Does lettuce make you sleepy?
Wild lettuce produces a milky sap that was once used as a mild sedative.
Was garlic used as medicine in wartime?
Garlic was used as an antiseptic during World War I and World War II and was nicknamed "Russian penicillin."
Has spinach been used to grow heart tissue?
Researchers used spinach leaves as a framework to grow heart tissue.
Is there medicine made from daffodils?
Galantamine, a drug used to treat Alzheimer's disease, can be made from daffodils.
Is peony root used in medicine?
Peony root is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Was Krishnamacharya also a healer?
Krishnamacharya also practiced Ayurveda, a traditional Indian system of medicine.
What was Swami Sivananda's job before becoming a yogi?
Before becoming a monk, Swami Sivananda worked as a doctor in Malaya.
What is the Hippocratic Oath?
The Hippocratic Oath, an ethical code for doctors, is named after the Greek physician Hippocrates.
How did germ theory change medicine?
Germ theory showed that many diseases are caused by microorganisms.
Who is the youngest Nobel Prize winner in medicine?
Frederick Banting was 32 when he won the Nobel Prize, making him the youngest winner in physiology or medicine.
How did Laennec's stethoscope change medicine?
René Laennec's stethoscope helped doctors diagnose lung and heart diseases.
What drug made transplants more successful?
Cyclosporine, approved in 1983, made organ transplants much more successful by preventing rejection.