The Chemist Whose Work Was Stolen from Her
The Black scientist Alice Ball helped develop a treatment for leprosy in the early twentieth century. But someone else took the credit.
The Vast Influence of Ibn Sina, Pioneer of Medicine
In the 11th century CE, science was rapidly advancing in the Islamic world. The scholar Ibn Sina (Avicenna) synthesized its medical wisdom.
When Ambulances Were Hearses
The federal government pushed the improvement of emergency services from several directions in the 60s and 70s.
Is It Ethical to Grow a Brain in a Petri Dish?
Brain organoids could be the key to understanding brain diseases, which is why we should think carefully about how far we are prepared to take them.
We’re Living in a Post-Antibiotic World
A new CDC report warns: “Stop referring to a coming post-antibiotic era—it’s already here.” Contrast that to a 1944 article on the promise of penicillin.
The X-ray Craze of 1896
For many science-obsessed Victorians, X-rays were not just a fun novelty, but a potential miracle cure.
What Did the Winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine Discover?
The 2019 Nobel Prize for Medicine honors a discovery that may make it possible to prevent or even reverse the damage from cardiovascular disease.
How the Ban on Medical Advertising Hurt Women Doctors
Intended to protect consumers from unscrupulous quackery, a nineteenth-century ban on medical advertising proved to be a double-edged sword.
The Occult Remedy the Puritans Embraced
Why did the Puritans embrace a medical treatment that looked suspiciously like black magic?
