3D Printing Body Parts
3D printing has evolved far beyond printing out a simple item using plastic. For example, scientists Jody Connell and colleagues described an innovative use of the technology to create three-dimensional bacteria cultures.
The Long Tradition of Dangerous “Cures”
Medical cures are usually too good to be true. Numerous doctors wrote to the prestigious British Medical Journal, reporting on their prescription of raw meat juice to patients.
When Scientists Perform Experiments on Themselves
More than one self-experiment has resulted in a Nobel Prize. Against all odds, and sometimes in spite of the damage they cause, these crazy gambits pay off.
Charles Knowlton, the Father of American Birth Control
Decades after Charles Knowlton died, his book would be credited with the reversal of population growth in England and the popularization of contraception in the United States.
Bioethics: Key Concepts and Research
Two experts in bioethics have curated a reading list of over 20 JSTOR sources on selected issues like: gene-editing, research and treatment, reproduction, disability, genetics, genealogy and race.
Should Drug Makers Advertise?
Drug advertising is a longstanding issue in the U.S, tangled with patients’ rights to make their own decisions, doctors’ professional status, and the ethics of profiting from powerful drugs.
19th Century Anesthesia and the Politics of Pain
Many doctors embraced anesthesia, but critics in the medical community protested its use, giving rise to what's known as the “ether controversy.”
Rethinking Bioengineered Skin
A boy with a rare condition was losing his skin, until a medical team was able to produce artificial skin. Healing damaged skin has long been a challenge.
Was Lydia E. Pinkham the Queen of Quackery?
She developed an immensely popular, if questionably effective, herbal remedy for “female complaints.” Pioneer in alternative medicine or...?