The Anatomy of a Pandemic: What went wrong during the 1918 influenza outbreak?

by Ruth Riedl The flu is generally accepted to be a seasonal occurrence that most people don’t worry much about, except to get a flu shot. Odds are that if you’re a healthy adult who has had a flu shot, you’ll be fine, unless things go wrong and the virus mutates so that vaccines are… Read more The Anatomy of a Pandemic: What went wrong during the 1918 influenza outbreak?

Read All About It!: The Abortion Debate in the Nineteenth Century American Press

Sarah Arena is a history major at Grinnell College. On March 3, 1846, the Boston Daily Times advertised on behalf of Madame Restell: “‘FEMALE MONTHLY PILLS’ now acknowledged by the medical fraternity to be the only safe, mild, and efficient remedy to be depended upon in long standing cases of Suppression, irregularity, or stoppage of… Read more Read All About It!: The Abortion Debate in the Nineteenth Century American Press

These Statements Have Not Been Evaluated By the FDA

Andrew Troxell is a second-year biological chemistry major at Grinnell College. In the future, Andrew hopes to attend medical school and become a surgeon. Andrew is fascinated by medicine, medical policy, and the underlying causes behind phenomena we observe in medicine both at the biological and cultural level. Andrew biggest hobby is trying to find… Read more These Statements Have Not Been Evaluated By the FDA

Quack is as quack does: How modern pharmaceutical companies have become quacks.

Alicia M. Alexander is a second-semester senior at Grinnell College. She studied Psychology with a focus in Neuroscience. Outside of her coursework, she enjoys going on adventures, listening to vinyl records, and snuggling with her personable cat Waffles. Americans have become increasingly more wary of pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical industry, and relationships between pharmaceutical companies and… Read more Quack is as quack does: How modern pharmaceutical companies have become quacks.

A Tale of Two Diseases: ADHD and Neurasthenia

Jeanette Miller is completing her undergraduate studies in English at Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA. She enjoys writing poetry, listening to folk music, and drinking an occasional cup of tea. Consider two diseases: Disease A and Disease B. Children with Disease A are described as being “excitable” and “precocious,” at risk of being “overstimulated.” Thus,… Read more A Tale of Two Diseases: ADHD and Neurasthenia

Triage and Trauma Medicine in United States Military History

Amanda Snodgrass is an English Major at Grinnell College, in Iowa who has an interest in biological chemistry, genetics and the zombie apocalypse. She has a chocolate cocker spaniel named Buddy and a hedgehog named John. She is a Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and BBC Sherlock buff. Live long and Prosper. Military medicine… Read more Triage and Trauma Medicine in United States Military History

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: The End of a Journey or the Start of a New One?

Marissa Yetter is currently a second year student at Grinnell College. She intends to declare a major in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience. She chose this topic to research based on an interest in PTSD and the current research being done to find new and better treatments. She also developed a general interest throughout… Read more Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: The End of a Journey or the Start of a New One?

Victims of Forced Sterilization (Then and Now)

Chelsie Salvatera is a sociology major on a pre-medical track at Grinnell College. She currently holds leadership positions in several campus organizations: Sociology Student Educational Policy Committee, Philippine United Student Organization and the Young Gifted and Black Gospel choir. Her professional interests include medicine and public health, specifically minority health and health disparities in the… Read more Victims of Forced Sterilization (Then and Now)

A Brief History of Federal Intervention in Public Health

Lena Parkhurst is a third year English and Spanish major at Grinnell College.  She enjoys biking, movies and sleep. Although George Washington’s work with inoculation was pretty snazzy William Howard Taft is still her favorite president. Medical rights, never exactly an uncontroversial topic in the United States, has become an especially touchy subject with the… Read more A Brief History of Federal Intervention in Public Health