First Edition of Hahnemann's Organon: Celebrating its 200th Anniversary

With this special issue, IJHDR celebrates the 200th anniversary of the first edition of Hahnemann’s Organon, published in 1810. By 1796, in a previous foundational article published in Hufeland’s prestigious Journal of Practical Medicine [1], after criticizing with fine reasoning the usual ways of studying the “curative properties of medicinal substances”, namely according to their chemical actions, their effects on animals, their external aspect or sensitive properties, their taxonomic classification, or the random use of multiple drugs by the so called empiricists, Hahnemann stated what can be regarded as one of the cornerstones of homeopathy: “The true physician, whose sole aim is to perfect his art, can avail himself of no other information respecting medicines, than – first, what is the pure action of each by itself on the human body? Second, what do observations of its action in this or that simple or complex disease teach us?” ... ... To conclude, despite uncertainties and difficulties homeopaths still have to struggle with, we can only feel grateful to Hahnemann’s countless efforts to introduce homeopathy and everything what it means in medicine history and development.

Introduction of the quality of life concept in practical medicine

The modern stage of medical development requires a multidisciplinary approach to studying the impact of treatment on human life. The social aspects are of great importance because the goal of treatment is to preserve or/and improve life. Therefore, the term "quality of life" is increasingly used in the world medical literature. The objectification of this indicator and its adaptation in practical medicine is a priority task. The concept of "quality of life" first appeared in 1958. In the future, this concept was developed in a research carried out by a group of professors at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) under Prof. R. Bauer in 1966. These researches initiated the quality of life study. In 1996, the WHO developed a definition of quality of life as an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns. The purpose of studying the quality of life in the medical field was to introduce treatment protocols and standardize medical care. An important criterion for evaluating the quality of treatment was to compare changes in the patient’s quality of life before and after using a particular medical protocol. The main methods of studying changes in the patient’s quality of life were the use of special questionnaires. The most common general-purpose questionnaires for assessing changes in quality of life are SF-36, WHOQoL-100, Sickness Impact Profile, Nottingham Health Profile, EuroQoL-5D, EORTC QLQ-C30. In Ukraine, as of 2020, there is no local questionnaire for either general or specialized purposes. But there are translations of the main questionnaires, for example, SF-36, EORTC QLQ-C30. Developing own questionnaire that fully complies with the standards of the MAPI Research Institute requires multi-center and multidisciplinary research. The study of changes in the quality of life is an integral part of a comprehensive analysis of new methods of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. Analysis of changes in the quality of life using different approaches to treatment is possible provided that general and special purpose questionnaires and available clinical data are used. Using advanced statistical processing of the questionnaire survey allows you to increase the reliability of the research. There is a need to develop own specialized adapted nosological questionnaires for quality of life analysis. Assessment of the quality of life should become one of the main criteria for the effectiveness of medical care, as well as an independent indicator of the condition of patients during medical and social expertise, determining the prognosis, treatment tactics, and developing rehabilitation programs.

Prof. M. Ya. Breitman. Dictionary of clinical terminology based on the latest Russian and foreign sources. Issue IV. Ed. Practical Medicine 1929. Price 4 rubles

With the publication of the 4th edition of the dictionary by prof. Breitman, we have completed a great work on medical lexicography. One can disagree with the author's peculiar spelling like "gynecology", "Pasteur", etc., but one can in no way dispute the value and necessity of this manual for our time. The absence of such reference books on the book market, as well as the doctor's ignorance of a foreign language, often puts him in a difficult position when he wants to establish the exact pronunciation, spelling or meaning of a clinical term. Therefore, the dictionary of prof. Breitman will undoubtedly serve for a long time to be a reliable reference in all matters concerning clinical terminology. It is very good that the author also gives an indication of the pronunciation of surnames and proper names. At this point, everyone may be puzzled. The dictionary will solve them. In this note, we will allow ourselves to note some errors and controversies regarding terms in the interest of correcting them for the 2nd edition.

In memory of A. Shlosman

In Dusseldorf (Germany) on June 5th p. died at the age of 65, one of the most prominent representatives of pediatrics and social hygiene, director of the children's clinic of the Academy of Practical Medicine, prof. Arthur Shlosman.

Unearthing a provincial medical school and its students – A history of the 1834 ‘School of Practical Medicine and Surgery’ at the Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, England

The 19th century was a period of rapid change in English medical education. Little is known about the important contribution of smaller, hospital-based, provincial medical schools which sprang up to provide important practical training opportunities for students, typically as a foundation for further training and examination in London. One such example is the 1834 Brighton ‘School of Practical Medicine and Surgery’, which was based at the Sussex County Hospital and recognised by the Royal College of Surgeons and Worshipful Society of Apothecaries. Unlike many other 19th century medical schools, the history of the Brighton school is largely undocumented. Although it remained dependent upon London through the ‘College and Hall’ examination system, this article shows that the school's pragmatic and adaptive educational approach allowed it to play an important role in educating future doctors in Brighton from 1834 into at least the early 20th century.

The Importance of Simulation Training for Residents in the Specialty of Cardiology

An important feature of the simulation training of residents-cardiologists is that students have the opportunity to hone their skills and abilities in the center as soon as possible, using modern simulators, while in practical medicine this would take a much longer time. Of course, simulation conditions within the framework of simulation training will not completely replace practical experience with real patients, but definitely, this allows you to increase the level of professional training of cardiologists.

MOLECULAR BASIS OF OBESITY PHENOTYPES

The review summarizes data on the molecular mechanisms of interaction between different components of adipose tissue under physiological conditions and in obesity. Body mass (BM) index is the most popular, but not the only indicator of metabolism. In practical medicine, four phenotypes need to be operated on: metabolically unhealthy and healthy obesity (the latter is regarded as the preliminary stage of unhealthy obesity), and also metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy state with normal BM. One of the important tasks of preventive pediatrics is the timely identification of children with genetic forms of hyperlipidemia.

The Myth of Septic Complications of Acute Pneumonia

A new era in the treatment of Acute Pneumonia (AP) began with the introduction of antibiotics into medical practice. The first successes of the use of new drugs were accompanied by a gradual simplification of views on the nature of AP with an emphasis on the characteristics of the pathogen and its suppression. A huge layer of scientific materials that allow us to understand the features of the development and course of inflammatory processes in the lungs, remained unclaimed. The focus on the etiology of the disease has led to a distorted view of its mechanisms and an exaggerated diagnosis of septic complications that do not have a reasoned confirmation. The current pandemic with a large number of COVID-19 pneumonias has radically changed the etiology of AP and deprived practical medicine of conventional treatment regimens. The unpreparedness of modern medicine for such a challenge and the preservation of the previous ideology of the disease are the reason for a radical revision of the AP doctrine.

Clinical and laboratory evaluation of treatment efficiency in patients with prolactinoma

Introduction. Prolactinomas are rarely detected in children and are very often characterized by aggressive growth. Objective. The aim of the study was to increase the effectiveness of drug treatment with prolactin based on the results of clinical and laboratory studies. Material and methods. In order to determine clinical, laboratory, hormonal, functional and instrumental markers, 63 patients with microprolactinomas and 53 patients with macroprolactinomas were examined. Some biochemical parameters of blood samples, such as TSH, T4, T3, FSH, LH, GH, IGF, ACTH, cortisol and prolactin were studied in healthy individuals, in patients with microprolactinoma and macroprolactinoma 4 times: 3, 6 and 12 months after the start of treatment with cabergoline. Results. During the study, it was determined that a mean value of FSH in blood samples obtained during hormonal studies conducted before treatment with cabergoline was 4.94 0.41 IU/L, that is slightly lower than that of healthy women (n = 24) who participated in the study (5.49 0.52 IU/L) (p = 0.4037). Statistical analysis within the 6th month of treatment with the appropriate drug showed a reliable decrease in a mean value of LH hormone to 1.93 0.25 IU / L (p = 0.0002, p1 = 0.0232). In biopsies obtained during this study period, the minimum hormone level was 0.1 IU/L, and the maximum 4.18 IU L. Conclusions. Thus, the treatment of patients with macro- and microprolactinoma using cabergoline can play an important role in correcting their physical, hormonal and other parameters, and will expand the use of its analogs in practical medicine.

Dr James Copland (1791–1870) and his Dictionary of Practical Medicine

Dr James Copland (1791–1870) was born in the Orkney Islands and studied medicine at Edinburgh where he graduated in 1815. The following year was spent in Paris to acquire knowledge of the latest developments in pathology and he then travelled for a year along the coast of West Africa gaining practical experience of treating tropical diseases. After establishing his medical practice in London, which eventually became extremely successful, he contributed to medical journals and also became editor of the London Medical Repository from 1822 to 1825. His greatest work was The Dictionary of Practical Medicine written entirely by himself which was completed between 1832 and 1858. More than 10,000 copies of the dictionary were sold and its author became world famous during his lifetime. In 1833, Copland was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and from 1837 onwards he played a prominent role in the proceedings of The Royal College of Physicians. This article shows how his extensive professional and literary work was combined with an unusual private life.