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Medicine Facts

The Placebo Effect

To test new drugs, researchers usually divide their subjects into two groups. One group receives the experimental drug. The other receives a placebo or 'sugar pill' that should have no effect on the ... Continue reading

Which of these pills is the real thing?

Who was Typhoid Mary?

Mary Mallon lived in New York about 100 years ago, and worked as a cook. It seemed that every family she worked for suffered an outbreak of typhoid fever! The Dept. of Public Health found that she ... Continue reading

Pictured is a close up of Salmonella Typhosus.

What Is Sickle Cell Anemia?

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disease. That means you are born with it and it lasts a lifetime. Sickle cell anemia affects the red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are smooth and round ... Continue reading

The sickle-shaped red blood cells tend to get stuck in narrow blood vessels, blocking the flow of blood.

Fighting Viruses

Viral diseases can be very difficult to treat because viruses live inside the body's cells where they are protected from medicines in the blood stream. Researchers developed the first antiviral drug ... Continue reading

Electron micrograph of Ebola virus.