A recent article published in the New York Times quoted the astounding statistic that as many as 7,000–10,000 deaths in the United States can be attributed on an annual basis to prescription errors. Countless hospital days, loss of productivity, and an atmosphere of distrust of modern medicine all result from such errors. Many causes can be found for these mistakes; drugs with completely diff…
Animals are dependent on food for their very existence. Man is no exception.Man, as hunter and gatherer and later as agronomist, looked to plants and animalsfor more than just food. Animals and plants provided tools, shelter, clothing, andtransportation, as well as labor.Early man manifested an intelligence that led him to attempt to influence theexternal world and to change things to his advan…
Acute gout attacks are characterized by rapid onset of excruciating pain, swelling, and inflammation. The attack is typically monoarticular, most often affecting the first metatarsophalangeal joint (podagra), and then, in order of frequency, the insteps, ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows. Attacks commonly begin at night, with the patient awakening with excruciating pain. Affecte…