/oss/taxonomy/term/4153/all en /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition/when-it-comes-taking-medicine-its-not-only-matter-what-also-how <p>Serendipitous discoveries are legendary in science. Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, Perkin’s of mauve, Silver’s of post-it notes, Roentgen’s of x-rays, Fahlberg’s of saccharin, Plunkett’s of Teflon, Spencer’s of microwave cooking, Becquerel’s of radioactivity, Goodyear’s of vulcanized rubber, de Mestral’s of Velcro, Benedictus’ of safety glass, and Pfizer’s discovery of Viagra all were accidental findings in the sense that they were not the result of a search for a particular goal. To their credit, all these scientists were able to capitalize on their chance observation. Dr.</p> Wed, 27 Sep 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9655 at /oss /oss/article/medical-student-contributors-history/fighting-fire-fire-how-nobel-prize-winning-scientists-used-malaria-cure-syphilis <p>The history of science is full of disproved experiments, revised textbooks, and rewritten hypotheses. Even Nobel prize-winning research, which is often viewed as the best work science has to offer, can fall by the wayside. One example is the 1927 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1927/wagner-jauregg/biographical/">Julius Wagner-Jauregg</a> for treating syphilis by infecting patients with malaria.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 23:42:54 +0000 Maya McKeown, B.Sc. 9651 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/microbiome-and-its-myth-making-machine <p>As promising new discoveries are made in the health sciences, the telephone game begins. Scientists put their best foot forward when presenting their results. The public relations department at their institute further digests their findings and adds a dash of hype. Journalists amplify and simplify, social media influencers garble the message, and start-ups capitalize on the hype to sell unproven health solutions. Before you know it, you’re grabbing a cup of coffee while your colleague tells you that they heard cancer was caused by bad bacteria in your gut.</p> Fri, 11 Aug 2023 06:37:32 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9598 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/doomsday-prophecy-dr-geert-vanden-bossche <p>The COVID-19 pandemic has attracted a swarm of vocal contrarians like little else in the recent past. These public commentators, often bedazzled with advanced degrees, have painted themselves as brave mavericks escaping from the mainstream herd to denounce the cataclysmic consequences of public health measures. The latest example of this phenomenon comes in the form of Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche, who recently published<a href="https://www.geertvandenbossche.org/"> an alarming manifesto</a>. In it, Dr.</p> Wed, 24 Mar 2021 17:22:57 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8668 at /oss /oss/article/not-all-viruses-are-villains <p></p><p></p> Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:53:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8489 at /oss /oss/article/health/dyk-penicillin-used-be-recycled-urine <p>After Alexander Fleming’s 1928 discovery of a mold that inhibited <i>Staphylococci</i> bacteria growth and the first treatment of a patient with penicillin <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-real-story-behind-the-worlds-first-antibiotic">in 1942</a>, demand for this antibiotic grew rapidly. Unfortunately, due to the difficulties of growing molds and isolating the penicillin molecules from them, the medication was extremely difficult to produce in large scale.</p> Tue, 02 Jun 2020 21:11:37 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 8265 at /oss /oss/article/health/treating-flu-tamiflu <p>Flu season means a lot of people are going to be getting sick. The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm">CDC</a> estimates that there have been 29 million flu cases, a quarter million hospitalizations, and 16,000 deaths so far this season. So, any treatment that can help with that would be very welcome.</p> Thu, 12 Mar 2020 14:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8171 at /oss /oss/article/health/we-still-prescribe-too-many-antibiotics <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-we-still-prescribe-too-many-antibiotics">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Wed, 26 Feb 2020 20:59:48 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8154 at /oss /oss/article/antibiotic-prophylaxis-and-dentistry <p>As most dentists can attest, the mouth can be a scary place. Despite impassioned assurances from patients, we know that not all flossers are created equal. Lurking in this often-hostile environment are all kinds of nasties including bacteria, fungi and viruses. While some microorganisms in the mouth are described as “good,'' others…. “not so much.” Among these pathogenic villains are certain bacteria that when allowed to thrive wreak all kinds of havoc like bad breath, cavities and bleeding gums.</p> <p><b>History</b></p> Wed, 08 Jan 2020 18:20:51 +0000 Mark Grossman BSc, DDS, Contributor 8073 at /oss