From the Library

“As part of the medical buildup for Pershing’s St Mihiel offensive, Cushing was able to get a field neurological hospital setup near Benoite Vaux, where he planned to work. Eight of the first ten patients admitted to it were suffering from dilated pupils and hallucinations. Rambling in a nearby woods with a field naturalist, Cushing realized they were suffering from Belladonna poisoning. Learning that his Hopkins friends, Thayer and Finney, were about to become generals he thought they too must be delusional. ‘La la, how silly will they feel—or will they? They certainly must buck up on their organization which is too impossible for words.’ ” (

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Reports concerning the possible benefit of statin use in the prevention of age related macular degeneration (AMD) remain inconclusive. Some studies have purported to demonstrate efficacy whereas others have shown no effect. Adding to the controversy is a study from the University of Alabama where investigators performed a case-control study using the data from the Cardiovascular Health Study of adults enrolled in four communities in the United States. In this study no benefit was found from the use of cholesterol lowering medications and the presence of AMD. However, there was a …