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Caption: THE HISTORY OF MODERN MEDICAL SCIENCE
Part 4 #thehistoryofmodernmedicalscience #wellcometrust #stelleruk #stellerscience #seewhatisee
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Caption: The final part... ( scroll down to read )
For the final part of this project one of the things I thought I’d look at something I reckon we’re all pretty scared about which is pain and this led me to visit Chelsea Physic Garden as I was interested in historical Native Remedies for pain.
When I was reading a witness statement from Witnesses To Modern Biomedicine I was amazed that until about 1965 there was an enormous amount of ignorance about pain and subsequently there was a lot of acute pain particularly in end of life situations and the thought that ‘men didn’t need powerful drugs’ for pain but women did, seems extraordinary.
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Caption: Pain Relief... ( scroll down to read )
A large percentage of us have usually experienced some form of severe pain or at least witnessed it as often it occurs at births and deaths.
I certainly remember that after having my emergency c-section I would lie in the hospital bed listening for the sound of the pain relief trolley rattling down the corridor, desperate for it to arrive...
And then when my father was in his last days in hospital he would suddenly have an attack of awful pain which was swiftly taken away by a dose of morphine...the magic of seeing that was incredible, and such a relief, to witness.
The relatively recent advancements of pain relief are something that I am personally so grateful for but also just amazed that it is possible.
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Caption: Home... ( scroll down to read )
I think for a lot of people the idea of hospitals is really terrifying particularly for births and deaths. I think it probably has a lot to do with the lack of comfort there, and consequently a prevention of relaxation. They're public spaces after all, so I can absolutely understand why treatments at home would be preferable.
It was also really interesting to read about some of the advancements into home treatments, like Home Dialysis for example. The witness statements below are from parent and patient and actually illustrate the difficulties of coping with being treated at home
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Caption: When I gave birth to my son, I had the continual intrapartum fetal monitoring. In the 1960’s when that technology was in its infancy, midwives carried screwdrivers so they were able to adjust the new apparatus when required.
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Caption: Native Remedies... But what I found really intriguing this week was the subject of Native Remedies and how there is a feeling that a lot more research could be done into these areas…
I was really interested in this notion of native remedies being on hand and able to control pain so I thought I’d visit The Chelsea Physic Garden which has been in existance since the 1673.
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Caption: I was amazed at how beautiful the garden was, but actually I was more amazed at what I learned there...obviously I knew plants were good for your health, but I hadn’t appreciated how integral they are to medical science.
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Caption: I felt quite ignorant discovering that the source of Aspirin was a perennial herb!
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Caption: As a teenager I had epilepsy and I took a drug called Sodium Valprorate for years, ( even during my pregnancy which has recently been in the news as a dangerous drug to take at this time ).
But I had absolutely no idea that it was actually synthesised from a plant called Valeriana Officinalis and there it was growing in Chelsea Physic Garden. ...along with many other useful and common plants and weeds!
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Caption: ( I also liked how chocolate had been advised for consumption! )
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Caption: The opium poppy is fascinating too..It's the source of morphine, but unlike other pain relief, it works on the brain rather than the nerves, preventing the perception of pain rather than stopping it.
It’s so interesting that a drug which we know can be so destructive when taken as heroin, can actually be used in such a beneficial way.
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Caption: There seem to be quite a few plants which have this duel capacity; my teenage son informed me that nutmeg can also be hallucinogenic and cause severe illness if taken in large quantities...( I think the quantities have to be pretty large though! )
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Caption: Cannabis... ( scroll down to read )
Reading about some of the research on Cannabis I was surprised to learn that there has been resistance to utilising patient based information from volunteers who had used cannabis during illness with marked benefits.
A study on 6 mice who got better was heralded as ‘actual proof’, as opposed to research of 4500 patients, 1000 who got better, but which was said to be irrelevant because of the different quality of data.
However since 2010 Sativex, a specific extract of Cannabis , was approved as a botanical drug in the Unitedand then we come to cannabis Reading about some of the research on Cannabis I was surprised to learn that there has been resistance to utilising patient based information from volunteers who had used cannabis during illness with marked benefits.
A study on 6 mice who got better was heralded as ‘actual proof’, as opposed to research of 4500 patients, 1000 who got better, but which was said to be irrelevant because of the different quality of data.
However since 2010 Sativex, a specific extract of Cannabis , was approved as a botanical drug in the United Kingdom as a mouth spray to alleviate neuropathic pain, spasticity, overactive bladder, and other symptoms of multiple sclerosis Kingdom as a mouth spray to alleviate neuropathic pain, spasticity, overactive bladder, and other symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
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Caption: And finally... And finally I wanted to touch on one of my favourite paragraphs from Witnesses To Modern Biomedicine by Dr César Milstein, Molecular Biologist, Immunologist and Nobel Laureate which has the heading of 'Laziness'
"Laziness is the mother of good science. Creation comes from moments when you don’t have anything to do. When you have no teaching, and basic admin, and extra commitments are seen to interfere with research, what if you have strong motivation, and don’t know what to do? If you are teaching, you can fill your gaps by teaching, but researchers have to fill the gaps with thoughts. Applications of science are important and socially attractive but they detract from the single mindedness of research".
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Caption: Relaxation... And Dr David Wheatley, Consultant Physchiatrist says in his Witness Statement:
"I learnt more in unofficial discussion around the swimming pool, than I did from any of the formal presentations, because I met people, I talked to them informally, and I got many ideas and contacts from that very nice relaxing two hours. There is a lot to be said for not overburdening your conferences with too many papers".
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Caption: Connections... ( scroll down to read )
I suppose I like these last 2 witness statements as being an artist I often spend time, rather guiltily, either sitting doing nothing other than drinking tea and looking into the distance, or doing things I love, like gardening or cycling, when I feel I should be working. But it’s usually in these moments that I have my best ideas or inspiration...they’re important moments when the pressure is off.
Reading these statements reassures me that this is all just part of the process, both scientific and artistic and over the last couple of months since working on this project I have become more aware of creative similarities between researchers and artists.
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Caption: This project has been a real journey of discovery and the stories and witness statements I have focused on are only the tip of the iceberg...
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Caption: Shifts... It has also meant that the ‘fear’ element of all things medical has definitely been shifted for me...my mother was SO right when she told me that if I took great interest in something it would become less intimidating, less fearful, and far more interesting, and I have personally found that I can now add ‘inspiring’ to that list of benefits
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Caption: You can also find out more about The Modern Biomedicine Research Group funded by The Wellcome Trust, on their website here , their Facebook page here , their YouTube Channel here and their Twitter account here.
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Caption: You can read more of this story at
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