Nine local groups of general practitioners in Norway participated in a study of the usefulness of peer group discussion of actual cases as a means of professional development. Physicians brought referral cases and feedback (correspondence) from the specialist concerned to the group for analysis and received suggestions for further study. (MSE)

Longitudinal follow-ups of the cessation of long-term Naltrexone administration were conducted with a women with profound mental retardation who had previously displayed dramatic decreases in self-injurious behavior (SIB). After two and four years post-Naltrexone therapy, the subject exhibited near-zero rates of SIB despite changes in staff and in…

Exercise has important benefits for people with epilepsy, but several factors must be considered when making activity recommendations. Seizures during sports activity are rare, but physicians, coaches, and parents should know what to do if a seizure occurs. Some antiepileptic drugs may adversely affect sports performance, and exertion may reduce…

Describes an eight-step process for developing or refining a family-medicine informatics curriculum: needs assessment, review of expert recommendations, enlisting faculty and local institutional support, espousal of a human-centered approach, integrating informatics into the larger curriculum, easy access to computers, practical training, and…

Fifteen community-based primary care physician-preceptors were interviewed while working with and without a medical student concerning questions that had arisen that required further investigation. Follow-up indicated that preceptors generated fewer questions when students were present; the proportion of questions pursued also decreased when…

A survey of 142 U.S. and Canadian medical schools compared medical school curricula since 1991, especially in schools moving to the new interdisciplinary format. Thirty- five schools had retained preventive medicine teaching as a separate course; 25 schools integrated preventive medicine concepts into many courses; and 10 schools appeared to have…

Presents a scenario about Ignaz Semmelweis' work with childbed fever. Provides study questions about the scenario as well as teaching notes. (YDS)

Biology students are exposed to historical theories of medicine by contrasting modern medicine and germ theory with the humoral theory of medicine in ancient Greece. After spending one day describing basic theories in humoral medicine, the teacher role-plays a Hippocratic physician treating ailing Greek patients in a Hippocratic medical workshop.…

Addresses the problem of child abuse, domestic violence, and interpersonal/community violence as leading causes of injury and death to young ethnic minority children, particularly males. It reviews some of the interdisciplinary collaborative strategies that have been offered by leaders in medicine and education and presents evaluative commentary…

This article provides information and guidelines for the effective use of medication in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Basic principles of psychopharmacology, different types of medications that have been used successfully to treat ADHD, and best practices for assessing the effects of medication in children with ADHD are…

The development of sports medicine was influenced by medicalization and increasing competitiveness in modern sport, with sports physicians helping to develop performance enhancing drugs and techniques. This paper discusses sports medicine and drug use in Eastern European countries, early development of anabolic steroids in the United States, and…

Examined possible predictors of physician nursing home practice including residency experiences. A survey of 170 family physicians found physicians with an active nursing home practice were more likely to reside in a small community, have a hospital practice, see more outpatients, and work more hours but not necessarily residency experience of…

Discusses several articles in this issue that demonstrate the influence of gender and power on family medicine education. These articles show that both clinical and learning environments are influenced by gender and power. Recommends the study of gender and power as an overt component in the family medicine curriculum. (SLD)

Describes a process known as parthenogenesis which produces cloned, early-stage embryos and human embryos generated only from eggs. Speculates that this technology puts therapeutic cloning within reach. (DDR)

Presents information about the history, biology, and medical aspects of leprosy, including its description in historical documents, its cause and effects, statistics on its prevalence, and various attempts at treatment. Notes that leprosy is one of the few infectious diseases that, although treatable with medication, remains incurable. Contains 30…