The search to cure ourselves of maladies ranging from the common headache to cancer has led to huge breakthroughs in the medical field. Through the efforts of pioneering researchers over the past two hundred years, chemicals that numb pain, halt the spread of disease, and make advanced life-saving procedures possible have come into existence. In this three-part series, host Michael Mosley tells the story of how the worlds’ most valuable pharmaceutical drugs were created and reveals the science behind the source of many modern medicines. Some content may be objectionable. Produced by the Open University. 3-part series, 52 minutes each
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The isolation of morphine alkaloids from opium was a turning point in the history of medicine. It meant that essential compounds in herbal remedies could be measured out in reliable doses, creating a surge of research into chemical palliatives and giving birth to the modern pharmaceutical industry. By the mid-19th century mass production...
Open University
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Centuries ago, draining a wound of pus was the surest way to fight dangerous infection, but millions of deaths from pestilent disease proved that this practice was not always successful. Even after medieval medicine gave way to Louis Pasteur’s germ theory physicians had a tough time knocking out bacteria, until the advent of penicillin. T...
Open University
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Belladonna, curare, snake venom—all are lethal, yet all may be used therapeutically. This program explores the fine line between harming and healing with an overview of poisons that are part of medical treatment. Beginning with Victorian-era experiments in painless surgery and the Arsenic Act of 1851, which made it harder for Londoners to...
Open University
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