Medical Advances of the last 200 years - Vote Now

The BBC Today programme "Today", reminds us all that the British Medical Journal search for the most important medical advance since the Journal was founded in 1840 will be announced on 18 January 2007 on the BMJ’s "new look website."

Lord Patel brought this to readers attention in September , now you can read the details of the 15 most important advances - and an excellent potted history of recent medical science . Anyone, anywhwere in the world can vote here http://www.bmj.com / from ;

Anaesthesia / Antibiotics
Chlorpromazine / Computers
Discovery of DNA structure / Evidence-based medicine
Germ theory / Immunology
Medical imaging (x-rays, etc.)
Oral contraceptive pill / Oral rehydration therapy
Risks of smoking / Sanitation(clean water and sewage disposal)
Tissue culture / Vaccines

Lord Patel has voted for Vaccines. First described and produced for rabies by Louis Pasteur in 1855 ( Portrait Albert Edelfelt, en el Musée d'Orsay) . Vaccines have seen the end of (often fatal) childhood diseases like diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, rubella, polio, mumps, and rubella rare and distant memories - and now for cervical cancer which is now seen to be the result of a communicable STD. Championed by Michael Worboys, Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine and Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester

Teachers at all levels - there is valuable resource material here.

We'll be back after this ...

Ever anxious to spread the joys of civilisation and wonders of technology, Lord Patel was tempted by the novel packaging and promise offered by a new Ryvita whole grain (low Gi) crispbread that contains "Pumpkin seeds and Oats" - a "scrumptious snack" says their website - a source of bone and teeth building phosphorus.

Snacking yesterday with some Tesco's Finest "Old Matured take the roof off yer Mouth" Farmhouse Cheddar, he has to say that the crumbly nuttiness, the rustic flakiness provides a taste sensation. Highly recommended.

Ever anxious to please, my domestic staff provided a small quantity of mildly salted, crunchy red pumpkin seeds from Syria which Asma Assad (Emma as she likes to be known by friends) introduced me too.

Today is National Stress Awareness Day

The 2nd November,has been declared by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and International Stress Management Association UK to be National Stress Awareness Day

* About half a million people feel that stress is making them ill;
* Up to 5 million people in the UK feel over stressed by their work;
* 12.8 million working days were lost last year
* The financial costs to society are estimated at £3.8 billion a year.

NSAD is an annual event organised by the International Stress Management Association UK (ISMA UK). The purpose of NSAD is to raise awareness of stress and ways to tackle it.

* To introduce the HSE Management Standards and explore how they can be best introduced in your organisation
* To learn about the long term business benefits of effectively managing work-related stress
* To share good practice and lessons learnt with others
* To explain the HSE Stress Programme’s plan of work and how you can get involved

HSE Information available here