The idea of managing lethal epidemics by imposing a quarantine flourished in Italy in the fourteenth century.  In their efforts to control the plague, Italian towns regularly put blocks on trade particularly maritime traffic from affected areas. This seemed sensible and may have worked to some extent. But if you don’t know what is in […]

Editorial Note: This post follows last weeks In the Name of the BBC.  There will probably be two more posts on Hostile Environments and The Anti-Facts Brigade.  The titles and this photograph come from the movie In the Name of the Father – a compelling 1993 move about the Guildford Four which comes complete with […]

A recent BBC File on Four program on Antidepressants in Children, presented by Paul Connolly, has drawn disparaging comments on posts here. Here is some background detail.  I was interviewed for the program.  My messages were as follows: That the trials of Prozac in children were identical to the trials of other SSRIs and other […]

Editorial: This post comes from a Belgian colleague. Belgium’s best-selling pop singer Stromae has been talking about his drug-induced illness all over the media since last year. He claims the anti-malaria drug Lariam (mefloquine) made him instantly psychotic and caused long-term anxiety problems which have already persisted for 3 years after stopping the drug, and […]