Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

"The general public is aware of clinical research trials, but there is little awareness that the number of subjects enrolled in research is much larger than the number enrolled in clinical trials alone. While some research-related deaths reach the popular media, the actual number of deaths in research is higher. Even regulators and industry experts are not aware of the true numbers of deaths and adverse events, due to the lack of proper reporting.": Adil Shamoo

"The tragic figure of the novel is not the sufferer of mental illness but her spouse. Without proper support, there may be more truth in this scenario than fiction. The question I want to ask the forum is: what can be done to ease the burden on family members of those with mental illness, by governments, the mental health system and by the community at large?" Solomon Wakeling

"Why are neuroscientists, molecular biologists, geneticists, and developmental biologists – men and women whose discoveries have forever changed the way we understand ourselves – so uneasy about their futures? The crisis in morale among today’s medical scientists stems not from money problems, nor from the stage of development of their fields, nor from the level of research that is being conducted, but from these scientists’ failure to form themselves into proper, humane communities." Robert Pollack

"A few times each year, the world is reminded that a pandemic threat is immanent. In 2003, it was SARS. Today, it is a potential avian virus similar to the one that killed 30 million people after 1914." by H T Goranson

"And the French smoke as well to add insult to injury. But then tobacco, which is a plant, and also a herb, at one time was considered to be good for asthmatics and prescribed as such. The problem these days is more likely to be the chemicals used in the manufacturing process rather than the plant itself. Nicotine has also been found to be useful in the treatment of intestinal conditions like Crohn’s disease because it has a calming effect. This explains why soldiers in war and people who work in crisis environments tend to smoke. In years to come we may see doctors prescribing cigarettes made from organically grown tobacco." Roslyn Ross

"With Howard, Abbott and their ilk convincingly defeated on the future regulation of RU486 today, it’s worth taking a minute to reflect on the disgusting racial and religious bigotry implicit in Danna Vale’s comments this week, particularly given that they are indicative of an increasingly common mindset in our country, consistently encouraged by the Howard government." John Richardson

"Clinical depression affects roughly one in four people at some point in their lives. It is a severe and prolonged state of mind in which normal sadness grows into a painful state of hopelessness, listlessness, lack of motivation, and fatigue. But, however well defined, clinical depression is many things to many people, varying from mild to severe." J M G Williams

"Queenslanders in 2005 discovered that their public health system was chronically underfunded, poorly run and in some cases it provided dangerous and even deadly services for those who turned to its hospitals for attention. Two Commissions of Inquiry (the first shut because of the apprehended bias of its Commissioners) and a wide-ranging administrative inquiry were instituted after a whistleblower nurse, Ms Toni Hoffman, told her local MP about the disastrous surgical exploits of an overseas-trained doctor, Dr Jayant Patel, who had become infamously known to some of his colleagues as Dr Death." David Solomon

"For political history buffs, I believe this is the first Private Senators Bill in the names of 4 Senators from four different parties (all of whom also happen to be women)." Senator Andrew Bartlett on the RU486 legislation being debated in the Senate today.

"The world of depression is full of clichés and regrettably some of them are accurate. Clichéd and overused expressions like Denial, Avoidance and so many more. These clichés are reality during the process known as depression. Denial is what we all do when we first feel the symptoms of it. Avoidance is what we do to try and evade a deepening or reoccurrence of our low moods. We avoid people, places, songs, aromas, crowds, empty spaces. You name it and it will be a trigger for someone's depression..." Ross Chippendale

"Avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. The disease, which was first identified in Italy more than 100 years ago, occurs worldwide. For much of that past century, and for all the years before, avian influenza was not an issue of widespread (let alone global) concern because these viruses did not normally infect species other than birds and pigs. Today things have changed, people are catching the "bird flu" and dying. The recent run on available prophylactic drugs in developed nations points to how much of a concern it has become. It has become something to concern all the peoples of our planet; for should things change again and the virus begins to spread amongst us multitudes may die, and even if it doesn't kill us it is going to change the life lived by many millions worldwide." Craig Rowley