For everyone and about everything. Interesting facts about medications that not everyone knows
Antibiotics were invented due to the laziness of their creator, Alexander Fleming. He did not want to wash the laboratory glassware that contained bacterial staphylococcal cultures, so the test tubes and Petri dishes stood dirty for several days. A colony of mold fungi grew there and began to kill the bacteria. Surprised by this effect, Fleming decided to isolate the active substance that inhibits bacteria. This is how the first antibiotic, penicillin, appeared.
Although the first antibiotics began to be actively used in medicine only in the last century, even the ancient Egyptians treated some infectious diseases flatbread with mold. So we can say that antibiotics appeared in ancient Egypt.
Chemist Robert Chesterburg, the creator of Vaseline, originally recommended his invention as a stain remover for furniture. He then came to the conclusion that Vaseline was an excellent medicine, and advised everyone to eat a teaspoon of the drug daily. It is not known whether Vaseline improved the health of other people, but Chesterburg himself lived to the age of 96.
In 1992, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer conducted clinical trials new heart medicine - sildenafil citrate. The trials ended in failure: the drug had almost no therapeutic effect on the heart. However, many men from the control group flatly refused to return the pills, because felt like real sex giants after taking them. So unplanned by-effect allowed the famous “Viagra” to be born.
A funny side effect has also been observed with the antidepressant clomipramine: 5% of patients taking it can experience an orgasm simply by yawning!
The famous German pharmaceutical company Bayer AG launched on the market in 1898 children's medicine for a cough that was... heroin! It was only in 1913 that it was no longer prescribed to children, although this “medicine” could be freely purchased in German pharmacies back in 1971.
In the second half of the 19th century, cocaine was used as a pain reliever. Sigmund Freud tested the effects of cocaine on himself and, as a result, prescribed it to his patients as a cure for depression, sexual dysfunction, alcoholism and syphilis. For some reason, Freud was sure that cocaine was not addictive, but, as it turned out, he was seriously mistaken.
Until 1913, American doctors prescribed Coca-Cola to their patients as a remedy for headaches and stomach pain. This is not surprising: at that time the drink contained cocaine.
In the 30s of the 19th century in the United States, ketchup was sold as a cure for baldness and eczema on the legs.
Diet pills popular in the USA and Western Europe in the 40-50s of the last century, they contained worm eggs.
American doctors often prescribe a special medicine, Obecalp, to elementary school students who complain of mild ailments during classes, the active substance of which is regular sugar. About him therapeutic effect It's easy to guess by reading this title in reverse order.
Often people have no idea how many interesting and unusual things are hidden within the world. Take, for example, the medications we are used to. Some of them hide such interesting facts that sometimes you can’t believe them. For example, you suddenly noticed a strange craving for gambling, although previously there were gambling establishments a kilometer away. But the reason for this may be side effects medicines! 
Before plunging into the history of medicines, I would like to talk about modernity, because in our time you can buy medications without leaving home - online pharmacy.com.ua - one of best services in this area: only certified products, free shipping and many other nice bonuses on this service.
There is a reason why doctors recommend taking medications only with water. For example, if you take a pill with milk, it will lose its effectiveness and simply won’t work. But a couple of centuries ago in Russia and abroad, medications were washed down only with beer. IN medical institutions Petersburg, the foamy drink was even given to patients preparing for discharge. In the 19th century, beer was considered a generally accepted means of disinfection, strengthening the immune system and increasing the overall tone of the body. In Germany they even founded a special beer institute. Scientists who studied the foamy drink came to the conclusion that a liter of unfiltered beer will bring human body more benefit than a liter of milk drunk. 
In 1872, an American chemist British origin Robert August Chesbrough patented the process for producing Vaseline. But initially this ointment was not used as a laxative at all. Vaseline was widely used as a stain remover for furniture upholstery. But a year later, the scientist concluded that medicinal properties Vaseline, the use of which internally causes a laxative effect, and use as an ointment promotes the healing of damaged skin. 
In the early 90s of the twentieth century, Pfizer decided to introduce a new heart drug– sildenafil citrate. However, clinical trials of this medicine ended in failure - it did not have any therapeutic effect on the heart. At the same time, representatives of the male control group noted that the use of the medicine caused them excitement. Thus, sildenafil citrate, instead of improving blood supply in the heart area, contributed to increasing blood flow in reproductive organs. This is how the future drug Viagra was invented. 
In 1886, pharmacist John Stith Pemberton introduced a new drug to the United States broad action, intended for the treatment of diseases nervous system, impotence, as well as for removing pain symptoms of various origins. The medicine was a mixture of coca leaves and cola nuts in a 3:1 ratio. 17 years after Coca-Cola appeared on the market, manufacturers were accused of aiding and abetting the riots caused by townspeople under the influence of the intoxicating substance that was part of the drink - Coca juice. Coca-Cola production technology has been changed, and when processing fresh leaves coca, cocaine was first removed from them. 
In the first ten days of August 1897, Felix Hoffmann, a staff pharmacist of the German company Bayer, using the acetylation method, received salicylic acid V pure form and stable shape. This is how Aspirin appeared - the world's first medicine based on an artificially created substance.
In the 20s of the 19th century, regular ketchup was sold in American pharmacies. It was considered a surefire remedy for treating eczema and baldness, and was even patented as a medicine. Although today ketchup is used in cooking and not in medicine, the pigment lycopene included in its composition is a very useful antioxidant for the body. Even in fresh tomatoes, the concentration of lycopene is much lower than in ketchup. Nowadays, lycopene can be purchased at the pharmacy in tablet form. 
Everyone has probably heard about the placebo effect. This effect is based on a person’s own belief in a cure for the disease by using “dummy” drugs. Thanks to self-hypnosis, a person convinces himself of the effectiveness of such a drug, although in fact it contains none medicinal substance. For example, in Russia and other CIS countries lactose is used as the basis for placebos. 
Every year on the third Saturday of September, Pharmacist Day is celebrated in Ukraine. The editors of the magazine "Sugar" join in the congratulations! Some facts about such an important and interesting profession...
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- Meaning of the word
The word "pharmacist" has a very ancient origin. Translated from Greek, it means “he who gives healing and protects from disease.”
- Emblem
The famous emblem of pharmacies around the world - a bowl with a snake - is not only the most
widespread in the world, but also the oldest. It was found back in the 8th – 6th centuries. BC.
- Women in pharmacology
Previously, pharmaceuticals was an exclusively male occupation. Only in the second half of the 19th century did pharmacy owners begin to hire women. In 1895, only 13 women worked as pharmacy assistants.
" Medicine in hand knowledgeable person is likened to immortality and life, in the hands of an ignoramus - to fire and sword
- Statistics for Ukraine:
every morning in the country 9,500 pharmacies open their doors, 5,500 pharmacy points, approximately 900 pharmacy warehouses and almost 7,000 medical institutions. And this is more than 5,000 pharmaceutical organizations. The total number of employees in this area is about 1/3 million people.
Interesting facts from the world of pharmacology:
In conditions of weightlessness, caries develops faster than on Earth. On the teeth of mice launched into space, microorganisms that cause caries multiplied more actively than usual. It is believed that in zero gravity saliva is distributed worse oral cavity and does not wash away microorganisms from teeth well.
Extremely rare in horses cardiovascular diseases. The English veterinarian S. Littlejohn explains this as follows: “Horses do not smoke, do not drink, and adhere to strict vegetarian diet and do a lot of physical exercise.”
Most medicines in hospitals of the 18th–19th centuries. accepted only with beer. As an excellent tonic, disinfectant and restorative drink, beer was given to convalescent patients in hospitals in St. Petersburg until the middle of the 19th century.
The more educated a person is, the lower the likelihood of brain diseases. Intellectual activity causes the production of additional tissue to compensate for the diseased tissue.
What set of numbers equals one in the UK in the legal sense?
In the UK, in the legal sense, all numbers greater than 0.5 and less than 1.5 are considered to be one. The reason for this decision was a trial between two pharmaceutical companies. One of them holds a patent for a wound healing agent containing silver ions from 1 to 25% of the drug’s weight, while the other has released a similar product that contains 0.77% of such ions. Previously in similar cases numbers greater than 0.95 were taken as a unit, but when considering the case, the court discovered an asymmetry in the definition, decided to consider everything in the range from 0.5 to 1.5 as a unit, and thereby satisfied the claim for patent infringement.
In which animals is it detected? positive effect from taking a placebo?
Not only people, but also animals are susceptible to the placebo effect. In a control group of epileptic dogs given pacifiers, the number of seizures decreased in 79% of participants. Scientists suggest that the improvement in condition is explained either by the expectation of the dogs themselves, who have become accustomed to the medications after many years of illness, or by the expectation of their owners, who convey to the animals confidence in the benefits of treatment. We also cannot exclude a more prosaic explanation related to the cyclical nature of epilepsy: since taking a placebo may occur during an exacerbation phase, after some time there are fewer seizures due to natural reasons.
How does the effectiveness of placebo tablets depend on their quantity, color and cost?
The effectiveness of a placebo depends on many characteristics of the dummy pills themselves. For example, taking two tablets instead of one has a greater effect on the patient. Tablets are suitable for different diseases different color: Depression is best treated with yellow placebos, and stomach ulcers with white placebos. The cost of the tablets is also significant - in many cases, the more expensive ones give a greater effect than the cheaper ones that are identical to them.
Where and when did Bayer knowingly sell drugs that could be contaminated with HIV?
In the early 1980s in the United States, after evidence of the existence of AIDS appeared, the disease began to be recorded not only in the most at-risk people among homosexuals and drug addicts, but also in patients with hemophilia. It turned out that the virus was transmitted through drugs to improve blood clotting, which contained plasma from infected donors. After the scandal broke, Bayer and other leading pharmaceutical companies began producing a safe, heat-treated version of the drug, but it was only supplied domestically. And in Asian and Latin American countries, sales of old drugs continued for several more years, since corporations were not eager to destroy their stocks, produced in large quantities.
What choice did Gandhi make between Western and Indian medicine for himself and his wife?
In 1944, at the age of 74, Mahatma Gandhi's wife Kasturba fell ill. bronchial pneumonia, having previously suffered several heart attacks. One of Kasturba's sons offered to treat her with penicillin, but Gandhi refused, allowing only traditional Indian methods to be used - for example, rubbing with water from the Ganges. At the same time, Gandhi stated that the fate of his wife was in the hands of God, who was testing his faith, but a few days later she died. A month and a half later, Gandhi himself fell ill with malaria, and after three weeks unsuccessful traditional treatment agreed to take quinine and recovered. It is worth noting that quinine was known as remedy for several centuries, and penicillin began to be used in 1942, and its mass production in the West was only in the project.
What wounds are not recommended to be treated with hydrogen peroxide?
For the treatment of small superficial wounds The use of hydrogen peroxide is not advisable, since it damages the cells adjacent to the wound and, thus, increases the healing time. This tool Justified for use only for cleansing complex wounds from dirt, blood clots and pus before introducing an antiseptic solution.
It is not recommended to drink grapefruit juice while taking medications. It contains furanocoumarins, which contribute to a multiple increase in concentration active substances medications in the blood, which can lead to an overdose. To the group increased risk includes antiarrhythmic, antihistamine, lipid-lowering and antitussive drugs, and in total unwanted effects from mixing with grapefruit juice identified in at least 40 drugs, including drugs for erectile dysfunction.
Why don’t they treat wounds with brilliant green in the USA and Europe?
A solution of brilliant green dye, popularly known as “zelenka,” is used as an antiseptic only in Russia and the countries of the post-Soviet space. In the USA and European countries, green stuff is allowed, but no one uses it. Russian doctors suggest several reasons for this: from the unaesthetic appearance of the patient after treatment with brilliant green to uncertainty regarding its possible carcinogenic properties, since no one has conducted the relevant studies.
How does the Coca-Cola manufacturer acquire coca leaf extract?
Coca-Cola contains coca leaf extract, although in much smaller quantities than in the first years of its sales. This extract The Coca Cola Company buys from only one supplier - Stepan Company, the only company in the United States that is allowed to import coca. Moreover, leaves are supplied to Coca-Cola after all the cocaine has been obtained from them, which, in turn, is supplied to the Mallinckrodt pharmaceutical plant. This is the only plant in the United States that has government approval to produce cocaine-containing medicinal products.
Can hormone injections mimic physical exercise to combat obesity?
In humans and other mammals, there are two types of fat cells - white and brown. Exactly white fat cells are associated with obesity and overweight, while brown ones are much more active in helping the body replenish energy deficits by burning calories. Scientists have recently discovered that exercise triggers the release of a previously unknown hormone, irisin, which causes white fat turn brown and also increases the body's sensitivity to glucose. Experiments on mice showed that simple injections of irisin without physical activity help reduce weight. It is assumed that drugs based on this hormone will radically increase the effectiveness of treating obesity and diabetes.
How long after the expiration date can medications remain effective? therapeutic effect?
According to research by the American Quality Assurance Administration food products And medicines, approximately 85% of medications retain their therapeutic effect for a long time after the expiration date - some up to 15 years. However, their effectiveness may decrease slightly over time, but most of the original potential remains. Exceptions to this rule include nitroglycerin, insulin, and some liquid antibiotics.
Where can you try a drink made from a live frog?
There are many cafes in Peru where you can try a special drink made from frogs. One recipe for its preparation involves mixing a live frog with bean soup, honey, aloe juice and poppy plant root in a blender. It is believed that this drink helps against various diseases such as asthma or bronchitis, and also increases potency.
What events led to Venezuela becoming 3rd in the world in terms of Viagra sales?
During the general strike in Venezuela from December 2, 2002 to February 2, 2003, Viagra consumption increased sharply. In terms of sales of these tablets, Venezuela then took 3rd place in the world, although it ranks only 45th in terms of population.