I decided to create a page that would explain science for kids and for adults with little education and/or little knowledge of English. This would be largely oriented towards biology since this site is about biology, particularly human biology.
Our ultimate goal is to cure or at least treat the terrible diseases. Virchow wanted to study diseases on a cellular level. A century later Linus Pauling proposed that most diseases were molecular, and that the treaments should also be molecular. He was severely criticized while he was alive, but he was probably correct. Pauling did not feel that certain treatments, including shock treatment, were optimal.
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The study of insects is called "entymology". It has some applications to medicine because some insects cause diseases and some transmit diseases. The misquito is notorious for disease transmission because it drinks blood.
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The study of extinct species is called paleontology. This animated clipart is from Arthur's clipart website, which is not copyrighted. Arthur wants people to use his art. The site is in South Africa.
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Shown here are the speech centers of the brain as depicted by Wilhelm Wundt in his classic 1902 physiological psychology text. Fortunately it was soon translated into English.
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Shown here is the molecule ibogaine, which is a psychoactive drug made from a plant. The image is from the site Molecule of the Month, which is my favorite British website. It is sponsored by the Chemistry Dept. at the University of Bristol. This chemical structure is very interesting because of the carbon rings. It seems that the presence of a benzene ring is condusive to a drug being psychoactive. Also there is a methoxy group attached to the benzene ring. There is also an indole ring, which may be critical because it contains a nitrogen atom. Many psychoactive substances contain a nitrogen atom.
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Shown here is the structure of the psychoactive drug ketamine. LIke other amines, it contains a nitrogen atom, which is probably critical to its activity. It also contains a benzene ring. Psychoactive drugs usually contain a benzene ring. It does not contain an indole ring. Thus it would appear that the indole ring seen in other compounds is not necessary for the psychoactive activity. This type of research is called "structure-activity relationships". The structure is from the Molecule of the Month website in Bristol, England.
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This thumbnail sketch shows VIncent van Gogh with a bandaged ear. In a bout of madness the great artist mutilated his own ear. Later he shot himself to death. Psychiatrists have studied his paintings in an effort to understand him.
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Nutrition is a growing concern. It is now becoming clear that our brains are made up of the food we eat. Mushrooms are on the Boston diet, which forbids items other than fruits, vegetables, and grains. Supplements are encouraged.
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Shown here is Dr. Julius Axelrod, another brilliant American Nobel Prize winner. Unlike Pauling, Axelrod is still alive (but retired).
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Shown here is Dr. Harold Lief in 1956. Lief was a member of the Tulane group of psychiatrists that worked on the taraxein theory, which was probably largely correct. Taraxein is an abnormal substance found only in schizophrenics. The image is shown courtesy of the national Library of Medicine.
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Shown here is a head wound which happened tp Phineas Gage in the 19th century. Amazingly Mr. Gage survived with little physical damages by with psychiatric changes. The damages were mostly to the frontal areas of the cerebral cortex. After this incident the frontal areas were thought to involve psychic functions. The drawing is shown courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.
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