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During his university years Inman contracted polio, but he persevered anyway, finishing his medical education from a wheelchair. As a medical officer for the British government, he saw the aftermath of the thalidomide disaster: the drug, given to expectant mothers to combat morning sickness, caused grievous birth defects. Wanting to ensure such a thing never happened again, Inman developed an early warning system to sound the alert over bad drugs more quickly. His "Yellow Card" system was adopted in 1964 by the U.K. Health Service, and soon detected a problem with birth control pills: they caused an increase in deadly blood clots. He determined the problem could be solved by reducing hormone levels in the pills, which dramatically reduced the problem but didn't reduce their effectiveness, and saved thousands of lives. Still, the Yellow Card system failed to detect a beta blocker which caused blindness, so he lobbied for a stronger system. The government refused to back that effort, however, so he broke off on his own, and helped the World Health Organization set up its own drug monitoring program. In 1980, he created the Drug Safety Research Unit at the University of Southampton, where he was also named the first professor of Pharmaco- epidemiology, where he taught doctors how to monitor patients for drug reactions. Dr. Inman died October 20 at 76. From This is True for 23 October 2005 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Judith BarberioLeonard G. Gomella List Price: $11.95 Amazon Price: $11.95 Editorial Review: Specifically geared toward patient care, this quick-access reference provides registered nurses and advanced practice nurses with essential, up-to-the-minute information on the selection and administration of 1,000 commonly used medications.  By: Sidney M. WolfeLarry D. SasichPeter Lurie List Price: $19.95 Amazon Price: $13.57  By: Marin H Kollef List Price: $48.95 Amazon Price: $48.95 Editorial Review: Prepared by residents and faculty at the Washington University School of Medicine, this pocket manual contains easy-to-read algorithms for the management of more than 80 medical and surgical problems arising in the intensive care unit. Chapters focus on specific problems and the algorithms provide straightforward approaches to the management of these issues. Coverage includes a section on procedures commonly performed in the intensive care unit. Appendices include common equations in the ICU, drug-drug interactions, and common drug dosages and side effects.  List Price: $22.95 Amazon Price: $15.38 Editorial Review: Know the Side Effects and Protect Your Health If you’re among the millions of people taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as well as vitamins and natural medicines, you need to know which combinations are potentially helpful and which can be extremely dangerous. The A–Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions is an essential resource to understanding the interactions that may affect your health. From the experts at Healthnotes, this revised and updated edition contains the newest information on thousands of drugs and supplements, based on studies published in the leading medical journals. Reliable and easy to use, this book is sure to become a trusted reference in your home. MORE THAN 18,000 DRUG-HERB-VITAMIN INTERACTIONS Find out about: • Drugs that can deplete your body’s nutrients • Supplements that can interfere with drug absorption • Side effects of common drug-herb-vitamin combinations • Supplements that can help your prescriptions work better • Combinations that should never be taken together • With a foreword by Dr. Bob Arnot Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions Third Edition By: Francis Brinker List Price: $25.95 Amazon Price: $25.95 Editorial Review: This book addresses the rise in patients use of herbal medications with traditional prescribed drugs by warning against combinations that may cause health problems. Over 1,000 references in books & medical journals given. |
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