Medical breakthroughs.

[Dave]

Thought there was a thread on something like this but can't seem to find it.

Anyway, what I think is an excting development was announced this week, though I think it has been around a while.

This uses 1024 MRI guided ultrasonic transducers to focus energy on a tiny, specific part of the (in this case) brain and ablate (cook) it.

So far it seems to have been used only to stop "essetial benign tremor", which can be a debillitating condition. But surely this must have potential for non-invasive (no anasthetics, no cutting, patient remains awake during procedure, essentially no recovery time needed) surgery on other conditions.

Catching up with sci-fi again

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20151018/Doctors-use-MR-guided-focused-ultrasound-to-treat-essential-tremor.aspx

[Icarus]

Marvelous and scary at the same time.

[Dave]

Marvelous and scary at the same time.

Yeah, the spectre of non-invasive, undetectable on the surface pre-frontal lobotomies does come to mind . . .

[Recusant]

Essential tremor can be rather tiresome, and can progress to become debilitating. Good to know that they're working on a treatment for it. Thanks, Gloucester. 

[Essie Mae]

Recent research into babies' brains casts strong doubt on the thousands of convictions of parents and carers in shaken baby syndrome, (SBS). The main plank of the research is that hardly any of the baby victims suffered whiplash, without which the shaking could not have happened, (Dr Jennian Geddes, Neuropathologist, Royal London Hospital). One of the most well-known neuropathologists, (in those circles), Dr Waney Squier, was struck off in March on trumped up charges of 'deliberately misleading' judges and juries in Shaken Baby Syndrome cases. She changed her mind about parents and carers shaking babies after reading Dr Geddes' research. She gave evidence for the defence in an appeal for a SBS case having given evidence for the prosecution in the original case. Dr Geddes also looked into individual cases and found other probable causes of the injuries. Squire had given evidence for the prosecution in many cases over the years. Squier has been reinstated on appeal.

This story is dreadful on so many levels. Firstly of course the strong possibility that many parents and carers have been wrongly convicted and furthermore had their lives ruined by the divorces, separation from their other children, (who have also suffered), loss of employment etc, as a result.

Secondly, what I also find truly appalling is the reaction of other scientists including some of the medical establishment. The findings don't agree with the orthodoxy that they have lived by for years. Doctors, lawyers, social workers and police officers also weighed in against Squier. She however, is re-writing the main textbook on paediatric neuropathology.

I read the article in Saturday's Daily Mail, which is not my usual reading, but it was very clear and well written. How this will all resolve itself I don't know, but it's certainly opened a huge can of worms.

[Dave]

Oops, wrong thread!