When is a man old? Van Wyck Brooks, in his World of Washington Irving, says of William Bartram, the eighteenth-century botanist, “Too frail to travel any longer, for he was in his early sixties …” In the First World War I saw thousands of patients, all young men. One day in one of the hospital [...]

Relaxation, scientists are finding, does much more than reduce stress. It also can relieve pain and help control sickness. More and more is being learned about how tension – emotional stress – is bad for both your mind and body. Doctors are now prescribing relaxation training as part of the treatment not merely for minor [...]

Cause

Hives are generally caused by an allergic reaction to various substances, which may include certain types of foods, food colourings, preservatives, plants, drugs (for example, penicillin), insect bites, and many others.

Clinical features

Hives are intensely itchy, raised, pinkish spots which together form a rash, usually on the trunk. Spots may become quite large (up to 5 [...]

Maternal and Child Health Nurse A trained nurse with specific postgraduate training in child and family health. Provides regular checks of growth and development, as well as advice on aspects of child development, the care of children and parenting. Some run various groups for infants, toddlers and parents, and they usually work in a community [...]

SEXUAL PROBLEMS – PROLONGED CONTEMPLATION

PROLONGED CONTEMPLATION: I think I start to think things over before it’s over. That is, I start to feel empty even when he’s in me. I think, Oh well, at least I’m getting held. That’s more than I usually get.. I even start to cry, but 1 cover it up by [...]

One of the most important questions that can be asked of a marriage is “Can you name the worst crisis your marriage has experienced and tell me how your marriage dealt with it?” Adaptive marriages clearly are stronger for their pain, and maladaptive marriages report a weakening and a worsening of long-standing problems [...]

Because of the lowered calcium levels, there may be muscular twitching and the combination of loss of consciousness associated with twitching may give the impression of an epileptic fit.

Even if consciousness is not lost, the peculiar feelings and apprehension may cause panic and anxiety and the over-breathing may continue. If looked for, this over-breathing is [...]

Dopamine is an amine necessary in the conduction of nervous impulses. Another amine, 5 hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT), has been shown to be present in less than normal amounts in depression.

Depression is common at the menopause. It may be improved when oestrogen, the female hormone, is given to treat the physical symptoms of oestrogen lack. Some [...]

The rest, about 15 per cent, are found when another child in the family is known to have the disease, and this is picked up during routine testing of the other children.

The diagnosis can be established by a special test, which estimates the salt content in the child’s sweat. It is a .difficult test to [...]

Cancer is classified according to the cell of origin and the organ of origin. For example, the most common type of cancer in women is called adenocarcinoma of the breast. ‘Adeno’ tells us that the cancer began in the cells lining the milk-producing glands in the breast. ‘Carcinoma’ just means cancer. There are other types [...]