El cine comercial como medio de aprendizaje de la Farmacología

Las películas comerciales se utilizan cada vez más como método de enseñanza en muchas disciplinas universitarias. En medicina son un recurso importante para enseñar algunos aspectos médicos al ser ilustrados usando el lenguaje cinematográfico. La relación médico-paciente, los dilemas éticos o el profesionalismo son alguno de los temas más presentes en las películas comerciales. En el presente manuscrito tratamos del interés del cine comercial en el campo de la farmacología, cuyo conocimiento está en la frontera de los campos básicos y clínicos. Revisamos el uso de películas para mejorar la enseñanza y aprendizaje de la farmacología y la farmacología clínica. Por ello describimos algunas películas que son especialmente útiles para este propósito, como Awakenings / Despertares de 1990, Lorenzo’s oil / El aceite de Lorenzo de 1992, The constant gardener / El jardinero fiel de 2005 y más recientemente Dallas Buyers Club (2013). Se incluyen algunas recomendaciones para su uso óptimo en la enseñanza de farmacología y farmacología clínica.

PORTRAYAL OF LOSS AND SUFFERING IN LITERATURE AND ART- A REVIEW OF “LORENZO’S OIL”

Cinema has always been a powerful means of cultural, social and educational propaganda and people seem to be more receptive to the audio-visual media than just audio or print. Thus, films or movies have become a very effective means of social dissemination of information. The films are a reflection of the society and their stories come from society itself. The stories of the films do not just come from the present situation of societies around the world, rather since the time societies have been in existence. They revolve around a variety of themes ranging from romance to thriller or from science fiction to serious documentaries. A very crucial genre of films which began during the era of the ’70s communicated about the sufferings in human lives. The pivotal role in this genre was played by the films which revolved around the depiction of life-threatening diseases. This paper discusses the role and significance of cinema in unfolding the atrocities faced by the sufferers and how they handle it. The aim of this paper is to present the subject of suffering and death in contemporary cinema with the example of the film “Lorenzo’s oil”. The research not only explains how suffering is shown on the big screen, but also reveals the medical community's approach to patients in case of diagnosing and treating serious and rare diseases.

Use of the movie “Lorenzo’s Oil” for didactic purposes in neuroscience and others health fields

ABSTRACT Although the traditional method of teaching is still the most popular nowadays, the use of different methodologies such as play approaches, for instance, could be used to make the teaching-learning process a more active approach. Nonetheless, the use of films that represent true stories are more pertinent in active teaching, especially those directly associated with a specific field and that are not merely dramatic. Lorenzo’s oil can inform students about many biological topics and problems linked to intensive care. Furthermore, it also addresses the impact of a neurological disease in a social environment and promotes an intrinsic discussion about sciences in general. Given the above, we propose the hypothesis that the film is useful for educational purposes in health, specifically neuroscience. Lorenzo’s Oil seems to be a good option for the use of a new approach in health science education. The richness of medical topics linked to modern aspects, such as nutrition for patients with mental disorders and palliative care combined with spirituality aspects, promotes an important discussion and constitutes a less stressing learning activity for students. Although some papers cite the importance of the movie for genetics and other fields, this paper shows the importance of efforts to address these topics using a more modern educational approach. According to the results presented, Lorenzo’s Oil could be used extensively for medical/health sciences, confirming the initial hypothesis.