Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A scientific study in which two or more groups of patients receive a different drug, the same drug at a different dose, or a placebo, with neither the investigators assessing the outcome nor the people being treated knowing which of these they are receiving. The aim is to remove any hint of bias due to…

A drug used in the treatment of depression, particularly when the patient needs sedation.  

These are swellings on the dorsal roots of spinal nerves. They are situated in the inter-vertebral foramina and contain the cell bodies of sensory neurones.  

Every year in the UK, 250,000 people attend A&E after being bitten by a dog. Most attacks are unprovoked but they are more likely to occur when the dog is disturbed whilst feeding or caring for young, or if it is jealous. Bites should be well washed with water and, if necessary, the person taken…

A drug sometimes used in the prophylactic (preventive) treatment of allergic disorders, particularly asthma, conjunctivitis, nasal allergies, and food allergies especially in children. Although inappropriate for the treatment of acute attacks of asthma, regular inhalations of the drug may reduce their incidence, and although it is less effective than inhaled corticosteroids, it might allow the…

Those with significant impairment of any kind, including impairment of sight and hearing, learning difficulties, and chronic illness as well as disablement due to accidents and the like.  

A calcium-channel blocker that is effective in most types of angina; however, it should not be given to patients with heart failure. A longer-acting version of the drug can be used in hypertension.  

A filaricide derived from piperazine used to treat filariasis — a group of diseases caused by parasitic worms called nematode filariae.  

A synthetic oestrogen closely related to stilboestrol. It is not as potent as stilboestrol, but is less toxic and is used as a cream to treat vaginal dryness.  

DDT is the generally used abbreviation for the compound which has been given the official name of dicophane. One of its first practical applications was in controlling the spread of TYPHUS. This disease is transmitted by the louse, one of the insects for which DDT is most effective. Its toxic action against the mosquito has…