Pacific Standard May-June 2013 Cover

Pretty Much the Scariest Way to Give Kids Their Medicine

January 3, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
Illustration of a bunny syringe from Robert L. Smeton's 1963 patent application

Going to the doctor can be a pretty scary experience—especially for kids. So back in 1963, inventor Robert L. Smeton had an idea: why don't we encase hypodermic syringes with cuddly animals so that children will be less afraid of getting their shots? Smeton filed for a patent in 1963 and U.S. patent number 3,299,891 was approved four years later. The latter half of the 20th century saw quite a few people trying to make a visit to the doctor a less frightening experience for youngsters. In 1989 Vickie D. Hull applied for a patent on a toy that could deliver liquid medicine to children. ... Read More

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Reversing the World’s Neglect of Easily Cured Tropical Diseases

May 18, 2012 • By • Leave a Comment

We have the capacity, and the duty, to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (a leading cause of preventable global disease and poverty). An audacious elimination campaign could be implemented at a surprisingly low cost by global leaders starting this weekend when they meet at the 38th G8 Summit at Camp David. This is an opportunity to help millions of poor people with simple, concrete measures. The 17 neglected tropical diseases defined by the World Health Organization represent the most common afflictions of the “bottom billion”--the poorest people in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. ... Read More

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Changing Parental Attitudes on Child Vaccinations

April 18, 2012 • By • Leave a Comment

During the 15 years that have passed since I began my pediatric training, I have been involved in the care of dying children. Thankfully, this is not a regular part of my practice, and I can remember each of those children. Most were kids who succumbed to chronic disease that had slowly yet inexorably overwhelmed them: leukemia, cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease. Sometimes, when nothing more could be done medically, all that remained was to sit by the bedside with the family and embrace the child as he passed away. Any child's death is tragic. Hardest to reconcile, though, are those ... Read More

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List of Neglected Tropical Diseases

June 21, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
mmw_aids

According to "The AIDS Funding Dilemma," which is featured in the July-August 2010 issue of Miller-McCune magazine, researchers point to growing evidence that this set of neglected tropical diseases may not only “threaten the health of the poor as much as HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis, or malaria, but even more importantly, may have effective treatment and prevention strategies that can be delivered for less than US $1 per capita per year.” Here is the list of neglected tropical diseases, which cites causes and symptoms: Ascariasis One of the most common human parasitic infections. Causes ... Read More

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The Swine Flu Vaccine: 1976 Casts a Giant Shadow

December 4, 2009 • By • Leave a Comment

America was one raw nerve. An unpopular Republican president had left office, leaving behind an unpopular war to wind down. Democrats now ruled both houses of Congress. The sitting president, a Midwesterner whose ascendancy had been historic, came in without executive experience. The country was deeply divided among itself and cynical distrust of government and corporations alike was rampant. It was 1976. It had been 58 years since the 1918 flu pandemic, called the Spanish Flu because Spain's open reporting on the flu's ravages made it seem more awful than in more censored nations. ... Read More

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A New Hope for Human Malaria Vaccine

November 15, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment

Every day in Africa alone, 2000 children die from malaria, as biting mosquitoes spread the infection between humans. And despite years of working toward a vaccine, scientists have been unable to unleash a suitably potent weapon against the disease. But now, Dutch researchers have characterized a large number of parasite proteins that could prove useful in the development of a human malaria vaccine. Details were published in the Oct. 31 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. According to the study, after being injected by a mosquito, parasites migrate to the liver, where they ... Read More

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