Have you ever wondered what it was like to sail the Seven Seas as a medical professional with the navy of the British Empire??á Thanks to the National Archives (UK) you can now get first hand information on the health issues experienced by British sailors as recorded in the journals and diaries of the Royal Navy Medical Officers.
In June 2008, the National Archives won a grant from the Wellcome Trust Research Resources in Medical History program to digitize the records of Royal Navy surgeons and assistant surgeons.?á These journals date from 1793 to 1880 and document the experiences of surgeons serving on Her MajestyÔÇÖs ships and in British naval hospitals, as well as on emigrant and convict ships.
The records, ÔÇ£which include a variety of colourful talesÔÇØ, can be easily searched by diseases, ailments, or names of medical officers or patients (HIPPA does not apply).?á They offer a wonderful insight into the medical practices and challenges faced by medical professionals of a bygone era.
Flu shots will be offered to LSUHSC New Orleans faculty, staff and students during the first week of October, brought to you by the School of Nursing. This year the flu shot will be administered in one dose and will help protect you and others against H3N2, influenza B, and the H1N1 viruses.
Those who should avoid vaccinations are:
- Infants under 6 months of age
- People with egg allergies
- People who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past
- People with a mild to severe illness
- People who have developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome within 6 weeks of getting the flu vaccine
What: Flu Shots
When: October 6th, 7th & 8th b/w 9am ÔÇô 2:30pm
Where: School of Nursing ÔÇô Room 5B12 (5th floor)
Cost: $15.00 for faculty & staff; payable to LSUHSC-NO by check or money order (Cost is free for students)
An alphabetical listing of LSUHN Patient Care Providers: Includes specialty, phone number and location of practice.
Bed bugs have been all over the National news and now they are making their way to Louisiana. The LSU Ag Center has published information on bed bugs; the Louisiana State Epidemiologist office has created a 12 page document on the “Control and Prevention of Bed Bugs.”
Got a cabinet full of unused prescription drugs? Well the National Takeback Initiative is going on this Saturday September 25th in hopes to safely dispose of unused and expired prescriptions and over the counter solid dosage medicines. The effort is to bring forth awareness of pharmaceutical controlled substance abuse. These drugs are a potential source of supply for illegal use and an unacceptable risk to public health and safety.
A few recommended disposal options include:
- Mixing the medicine with coffee grounds or cat liter
- Placing the unwanted meds in a sealed container or a plastic bag
For more information, please visit:
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/takeback/
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/ucm186187.htm
In 1884, cocaine was first used as a local anesthesia for eye surgery. Sigmund Freud even endorsed it. At the time it was considered much more useful than ether.

Attention medical geeks and gamers: American Medical news reports on a new role-playing game that teaches infectious diseases.
“Developed by two physician/gamers, Francis Kong and Arun Mathews, Healing Blade plunges the player into a world of sorcery and creatures, where real-world knowledge of infectious diseases and therapeutics play a pivotal role in the winning strategy.”
The print edition, which resembles Magic: the Gathering or Pokemon in game play, retails for $24.99 but is currently sold out at Amazon.com. According to the product’s website, a second printing is underway. Of course, an iPhone application is also in development.
As far as we know, the item will not be available for checkout in the library. However, the library commons is open 24 hours for anyone wanting to start a medical gamer night.
110 years ago today, Major James Carroll, a US Army Physician, “allowed an infected mosquito to feed on him in an attempt to isolate the means of transmission of yellow fever. Carroll developed a severe case of yellow fever, helping his colleague, Army pathologist Walter Reed, prove that mosquitoes transmit this often-deadly disease (from the Library of Congress).” James Carroll is one of the Yellow Fever Commission physicians featured on the Enrique Alferez frieze in the LSUHSC Library Commons. The featured men are Walter Reed, Aristides Agramonte (for whom the Library was originally named), Jesse Lazear, and James Carroll.

Conquest of Yellow Fever frieze by Enrique Alferez
imedicalapps.com is reporting that Kaplan publishing, producers of such favorite books as Kaplan Medical USMLE Step 3 Qbooks is offering 19 FREE medical books via the Apple Bookstore until August 30th.
More info & screenshots at imedicalapps.com
You may not have the Step on your radar right now, but rest assured, time marches on. This offer ends August 30th, so get your books while you can!
If you have an interest in Forensic Sciences, don’t miss this opportunity to learn from some of the best in the field. The workshop will include luncheon speakers Orleans Parish Coroner, Dr. Frank Minyard, and crime writer, forensic anthropologist, and academic, Kathy Reichs (of Bones fame.)

The 13th Annual Investigation for Identification: Forensic Sciences Enter a New Decade
Sponsored by LSU Continuing Dental Education.
Friday, August 27 – Saturday, August 28, 2010
14 hrs CDE (non-clinical, lecture) – 14 hrs CME Cat. 2 – 14 hrs CLE
Fee: $545*
Course Directors
Philip J. Levine, DDS, MS, MSM — Robert E. Barsley, DDS, JD — Robert B. Brannon, DDS, MS
Faculty
Michael Baden, MD — Henry C. Lee, PhD — Sam Brothers — Mary Manhein, MA — Tommy Martin — Robert B. J. Dorion, DDS — Christopher G. Fielding, COL, DC, USA — Joe Navarro, BS, MA
Check out the brochure or the schedule.
Epocrates is offering a free download of their Essentials package (usually $159) for medical students until August 31st. Users must have iPhone?«/iPod?« touch, BlackBerry?«, Palm OS?« or Windows?« Mobile platforms – Palm Pre & Android users are out of luck.
We aren’t sure what the catch is, but you know how the saying goes, you can’t get something for nothing.
Download here:
http://www.epocrates.com/ma/FreeforMedicalStudents2010/
Four LSUHSC School of Public Health MPH students were recipients of the New Orleans Schweitzer Fellowships for 2010. Reece Alkire and Meagan Relle are working with Volunteers of America to develop and implement a disease prevention program focusing on homeless veterans. Megan Burns is creating a school gardening program at James Weldon Johnson Elementary School to instruct children on growing, preparing, and marketing fresh produce. Emily Mabile is collaborating with art therapists, teaching children in Central City how to create murals. This art form promotes mental health by empowering children to represent themselves and their schools.
The New Orleans Schweitzer Fellowship Foundaton established in 2007 as part of the U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Program?« . Approximately 200 exceptional students from the nation’s top health and human service schools are selected to follow in Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s footsteps.
Have you ever wondered about the potential health effects of chemicals used in common household products? Or possibly been curious what chemicals have tested positive as cancer-causing agents?
If so, The National Library of Medicine provides TOXNET (TOXicology Data NETwork) as a product of their Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program.
This ÔÇ£FREE web-based integrated system of databasesÔÇØ is ideal for Health Care Professionals or health-conscious consumers searching for reliable information on ÔÇ£environmental health, hazardous chemicals, toxic releases, chemical nomenclature, and specialty areas such as occupational health and consumer products.ÔÇØ
The five types of informative databases are as follows:
1) Chemical Information- ChemIDPlus
2) Toxicology Data Files
a. HSDB (Hazardous Substance Data Bank)
b. CCRIS (Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information)
c. GENE-TOX (Genetic Toxicology)
d. IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System)
e. ITER (International Toxicology Estimates for Risk Assessment)
f. LactMED (Database of drugs and other chemical and the possible effects in nursing infants)
3) Toxicology Literature Files (bibliographic references)
a. TOXLINE (TOXicology Literature onLINE)
b. DART (Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology)
4) Toxic Releases
a. TRI (Toxic Release Inventory)
b. TOXMAP (Environmental Health e-Maps)
5) ÔÇ£Other DatabasesÔÇØ
a. Haz-Map (Occupational Health Database)
b. Household Products (Information on potential health effects of more than 2,000 ingredients found in common household products)

Today is the release of the new MedlinePlus!
In addition to the new logo, new features include:
- Frequently used content is easier to find like Health Topics, Drugs & Supplements and Videos & Cool Tools
- Spotlighting popular features such as the Medical Dictionary, Popular Searches and useful NIH databases
- Web 2.0 technologies that help users share content
- Emphasizes search and makes navigation more intuitive
- Rotating image feature at the top of the page displays current interest topics and new MedlinePlus features
- Distinctive color schemes for English and Spanish pages
- Quick links to mobile version and updates via email, RSS, and Twitter on every page
For a closer look visit: http://medlineplus.gov
The Exhibition Program of the National Library of Medicine produced a new online exhibit, An Odyssey of Knowledge, Medieval Manuscripts and Early Printed Books from the National Library of Medicine. Featuring twenty one medieval manuscripts and five early printed texts scanned at high resolution, the exhibit displays some of the most prized items held by the National Library of Medicine. It gives viewers a rare look at texts that are normally kept under lock and key, containing medical knowledge which spans over two millennia.