Medication: Difference between revisions

[[Al-Kindi|Al-Kindi]]'s ninth century AD book, ''[[De Gradibus|De Gradibus]]'' and [[Ibn Sina|Ibn Sina]] (Avicenna)'s ''[[The Canon of Medicine|The Canon of Medicine]]'', covers a range of drugs known to the practice of [[medicine in the medieval Islamic world|medicine in the medieval Islamic world]].

[[Medieval medicine of Western Europe|Medieval medicine of Western Europe]] saw advances in surgery compared to previously, but few truly effective drugs existed, beyond [[opium|opium]] (found in such extremely popular drugs as the "Great Rest" of the [[Antidotarium Nicolai|Antidotarium Nicolai]] at the time) and [[quinine|quinine]]. Folklore cures and potentially poisonous metal-based compounds were popular treatments. [[Theodoric Borgognoni|Theodoric Borgognoni]], (1205–1296), one of the most significant surgeons of the medieval period, responsible for introducing and promoting important surgical advances including basic [[antiseptic|antiseptic]] practice and the use of [[anaesthetic|anaesthetic]]s. [[Garcia de Orta|Garcia de Orta]] described some herbal treatments that were used.

For most of the 19th century, drugs were not highly effective, leading [[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.]] to famously comment in 1842 that "if all medicines in the world were thrown into the sea, it would be all the better for mankind and all the worse for the fishes".

During the [[First World War|First World War]], [[Alexis Carrel|Alexis Carrel]] and [[Henry Drysdale Dakin|Henry Dakin]] developed the Carrel-Dakin method of treating wounds with an irrigation, Dakin's solution, a germicide which helped prevent [[gangrene|gangrene]].

[[World Trade Organization|World Trade Organization]] negotiations in the 1990s, including the [[TRIPS Agreement|TRIPS Agreement]] and the [[Doha Declaration|Doha Declaration]], have centered on issues at the intersection of international trade in pharmaceuticals and [[intellectual property rights|intellectual property rights]], with developed world nations seeking strong intellectual property rights to protect investments made to develop new drugs, and developing world nations seeking to promote their generic pharmaceuticals industries and their ability to make medicine available to their people via [[compulsory licenses|compulsory licenses]].

[[Novartis|Novartis]] fought a protracted battle with the government of India over the patenting of its drug, [[Gleevec|Gleevec]], in India, which ended up in a Supreme Court in a case known as [[Novartis v. Union of India & Others|Novartis v. Union of India & Others]].  The Supreme Court ruled narrowly against Novartis, but opponents of patenting drugs claimed it as a major victory.

The environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products is controversial. PPCPs are substances used by individuals for personal health or [[cosmetics|cosmetic]] reasons and the products used by [[agribusiness|agribusiness]] to boost growth or health of livestock.  PPCPs comprise a diverse collection of thousands of chemical substances, including prescription and over-the-counter therapeutic drugs, veterinary drugs, fragrances, and cosmetics. PPCPs have been detected in water bodies throughout the world and ones that persist in the environment are called [[Environmental Persistent Pharmaceutical Pollutant|Environmental Persistent Pharmaceutical Pollutant]]s.  The effects of these chemicals on humans and the environment are not yet known, but to date there is no scientific evidence that they affect human health.