The 1998 edition of the Mill Hill Essays is now available at:
http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/mhe98
The Mill Hill Essays are published annually to promote the Public
Understanding of Science. They were inspired by a series of BBC
Radio lectures given by eminent scientists in the 1950's, and
subsequently published as a book. They are written by members of
staff of the National Institute for Medical Research and guest
authors, and are designed to be accessible to anyone with an
interest in science and the natural world.
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Mill Hill Essays 1998.
Foreword by John Skehel and Rod King
This fourth collection of Mill Hill essays addresses more issues of
topical or continuing interest. They are written with a
general audience in mind. We hope that you find them interesting.
Fifty years ago the results of Clinical Trials ordered by the Medical
Research Council to test the effectiveness of
streptomycin as a cure for tuberculosis were announced. Jo
Colston, head of the Division of Mycobacterial Research
describes the important lessons learned and how this sort of
carefully designed and controlled trial became the standard in
clinical medicine.
Rod King, Director of Studies at the Institute, comments on the
current state of the rules of the game. The increasing
importance of ethical issues in all areas of scientific research,
medical practice and for those in positions of responsibility,
and the high profile given by the media to those who let standards
slip, demand continuous vigilance.
The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more people than had died
on both sides in the whole of the first World War. Influenza
virus changes its properties from year to year and was not isolated
from humans until 1933 so virologists, with an eye to
controlling future outbreaks, would like to study the virus which did
so much damage. Rod Daniels of the Division of Virology
tells us about attempts to track down the 1918 virus.
Ed Hulme of the Division of Physical Biochemistry leads us into
the central unsolved questions for neuroscientists. How do
you link the extraordinarily complex organisation of brain cells with
consciousness, the perception of self?
This year’s guest author is Philip Minor from our sister institution
the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control.
Philip takes a hard and critical look at the evidence for and against
a link between Crohn’s disease, autism, and vaccination
for measles, mumps and rubella, which has had considerable
publicity in the last few years. The NIBSC was established as
an autonomous Institute in 1976 after an initial period as a
component of the NIMR. One of the first biological medicines
which it had to control was insulin.
Diabetic disease affects one person in every two hundred and
although it can be controlled by injection of insulin it cannot
yet be cured. Guy Dodson, head of the Division of Protein
Structure, shows how complex biophysical methods can give
practical help in the design of new insulin molecules to improve the
treatment of the condition.
December 1998.
© National Institute for Medical Research, London. (1998)
Frank Norman National Institute for Medical Research
Deputy Librarian The Ridgeway, Mill Hill
London NW7 1AA, UK
tel 0181 959 3666 ext 2380 email [log in to unmask]
fax 0181 913 8534 http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/personal/Frank
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