Alcoholism: From an age-old drink to a medical taboo

As per World Health Organization “Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence producing properties“. As per WHO estimates, 2.6 million deaths every year are attributable to Alcohol consumption. In India it is estimated that about 160 million individuals consume alcohol, and of these 14 million have a serious alcohol related problem, which we… Continue reading Alcoholism: From an age-old drink to a medical taboo

Some Military medics who made it to philately

Across the world military employs medical doctors in its workforce. This tradition is ancient, and can be traced back to Roman times. While primary task of these military medics was to keep armies fighting fit, and to address injuries and causalities during wars. However, some medics employed in the armed forces made their mark in… Continue reading Some Military medics who made it to philately

Red cross develops a system to communicate with prisoners of war (PoWs)

Prisoner of War management during world wars A less talked about consequence of wars are prisoners of war. These are soldiers of one warring side, that is captured by the other. During the first world war, there were a total of five million such PoWs on the Axis (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman) and the Allied (Britain,… Continue reading Red cross develops a system to communicate with prisoners of war (PoWs)

Hodgkin and Pauling: Two friends with a common cause

This blog is an incredible tale about two scientists, both Nobel laureates, who eventually became friends for life. Dorothy Hodgkin, was a British Chemist was third woman ever to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964 for her discovery of structure of Vitamin B12. She also discovered structures of Penicillin and Insulin. On the… Continue reading Hodgkin and Pauling: Two friends with a common cause