Index Home Marie Curie was first woman scientist to feature on a postage stamp. This was in 1938, a mere four years after her death. The reason for these postage stamps was to celebrate 40 years of discovery of radium. Marie and Pierre Curie had made this discovery in 1898. In 1938, France issued 21 separate… Continue reading Curies discover ways to find Cure for Cancers
Author: rjoshimgims
Bug of the soil to treat Tuberculosis
Index Home Till the end of the second world war, Tuberculosis (TB) had no cure. Bed-rest, sunlight, and some fresh air were standard TB treatments. While some self-healed themselves, most would die after a long wait. Even Penicllin, famous and marvellous first antibiotic, did not make a dent. First useful medicine against TB, was following footsteps… Continue reading Bug of the soil to treat Tuberculosis
Rabies: Pulling out of jaws of a certain furious death
Index Home As a toddler, I was often warned. “Do not go near stray dogs – If they bite you, you will get fourteen injections in your tummy.” There were, and still are a plenty of stray animals around. Many kids including myself were taught, how to identify a friendly one from the furious one. “A… Continue reading Rabies: Pulling out of jaws of a certain furious death
Mind the date: beginning of our 220 cr campaign
Index Home It was 16th January of 2021, and a historic day as it was the launch of India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive. Just a year ago, in January 2020, we were sucked in a global pandemic. Over next ten months, after lockdowns, first wave of Covid, more than a crore documented cases and about a lakh… Continue reading Mind the date: beginning of our 220 cr campaign
Why we think & do, what we think & do ?
Index Home Our behaviour is shaped by our thoughts and actions. Each of us has a different behaviour, even when external situations are similar. Psychology is the science that analyses our behaviour, thoughts, and consequent actions. Like medicine, psychology is also an imperfect science. Explanations about our behaviour, thoughts and feelings is often based on certain… Continue reading Why we think & do, what we think & do ?
Our transition from food & hunger to health & nutrition
Index Home To the world of postage stamps, sixties was a time of global omnibuses. First such occasion was the year 1960 itself, when many countries of the world issued postage stamps on refugees(previous blog). In 1962 we created a malaria omnibus (previous malaria blog). Both these initiatives raised awareness as well as funds for their… Continue reading Our transition from food & hunger to health & nutrition
Allergies: A case of Itchy hives, sneezes and wheezes
Index Home Today the word “allergy” is in common usage. This word was born quite recently in the year 1906. Clemens von Pirquet (1874–1929) was a paediatrician in Vienna. He and his peers were witness to new diseases that did not have much of an explanation. Some would develop transient itchy red patches on the skin… Continue reading Allergies: A case of Itchy hives, sneezes and wheezes
One stamp story: Is history of medicine in need of a museum ?
Index Home One postage stamp in my collection has intrigued me for long. This is a fairly recent 2007 postage stamp issued by Latvia. This sepia coloured stamp pictures a thoughtful skeleton, an open book, and some ancient mortars and pestles. I have not been able to pair it with any other postage stamp . So,… Continue reading One stamp story: Is history of medicine in need of a museum ?
My postage stamp garden of unusual herbs & plants
Index Home Our tryst with health-care, and use of plants as healers is long. While more well developed health systems used these in their formulary, remote and untouched communities also had their unique herbal remedies. In this blog we explore the less known plants, as well as nations that showcase these in their postage stamps. Pacific… Continue reading My postage stamp garden of unusual herbs & plants
Fifteen famous herbs and their use for health
Index Home List of medicinal plants is long. This list gives space to both rare as well as common. Some of these plants, have beautiful and colourful flowers. Others have pungent leaves, or tasty berries. While some of them found their way into modern medicine, others are more popular as ornamental. We devote this blog to… Continue reading Fifteen famous herbs and their use for health