Beyond pharmacy blog
All posts by Bystander PJ
Earl Grey and the Chinese mandarin
As a change from my usual supermarket blend, I enjoy an occasional cup of Earl Grey tea, with its distinctive flavour provided by the addition of bergamot oil.
Drugs and driving
Bystander tells the story of John Nestor, an acclaimed pharmacovigilance offer who suffered a loss of popularity thanks to his driving style
Bystander effect
Have you heard of the bystander effect? It is a weird phenomenon whereby, when an emergency arises, the more bystanders there are, the less likely it is that any of them will intervene to help.
What’s in a name?
By Bystander A study carried out in the US a couple of years ago suggests that the names our parents inflict on us may colour the way other people perceive our social status and career potential.
Ignore guidance on water intake
By Bystander A year ago (PJ, 8 June 2013, p684) I pooh-poohed the popular opinion that we should drink at least 2 litres of water a day.
Those innovatory nightingales
By Bystander Ninety years ago, in 1924, the nightingale contributed to two major technological innovations.
Old ones the best?
By Bystander
Mnemonics for lengths of months
By Bystander
Myrtle and its medicinal uses
By Bystander
House with a history
By Bystander Kenwood House, on the edge of London’s Hampstead Heath, was reopened by English Heritage a few weeks ago after a two-year restoration programme costing £6m. The house is well known for its collection of paintings by artists such as Vermeer, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, Hals, Turner and Landseer.
Fairground attraction
By Bystander An odd pioneer of neonatology was a New York physician called Martin Couney who used an extraordinary ploy to provide care for premature babies.
How marketeers rebranded borage
By Bystander
Tap or cap?
By Bystander I wrote recently about the myth that we should drink at least two litres of water a day (PJ, 12 October 2013, p390). Another myth is that bottled water is better than tap water. But tap water is preferable for many reasons.
Martindale and a family scandal
By Bystander The Royal Pharmaceutical Society publication that pharmacists know simply as Martindale takes its name from its original compiler, the Victorian pharmacist William Martindale, whose Extra Pharmacopoeia was first published 130 years ago.
Pharmacy origin of cocktails
By Bystander
Gardens worth a visit
By Bystander If you happen to find yourself in the Enfield area in London with time to spare, you could do worse than to drop in for a stroll round Myddelton House Gardens, one of a diverse range of attractions in the care of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.
Drink water, but only in moderation
By Bystander
New uses found for papyrus
By Bystander
Magenta vs Solferino
By BystanderI wrote recently about the first synthetic dye, mauveine, which was produced by William Henry Perkin in 1856 while trying to synthesise quinine from aniline (PJ, 8 June 2013, p684).
Who needs breakfast?
By Bystander
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