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SECRETS OF THE MEDICINE CABINET MISSED A PROGRAMME? Go to the Listen Again page PROGRAMME INFO Tuesday 21:00-21:30 Secrets of the Medicine Cabinet tells the colourful and surprising stories behind the discovery of some of our best known drugs and presents a layman's guide to how these medicines work. The search for new compounds to treat disease includes stories of tenacity, ingenuity and a large dose of luck. Each programme focusses on one medical condition. LISTEN AGAIN 30 min Listen to 26 February: Depression PRESENTER EDI STARK "Before the discovery of penicillin, my mother's ten year old brother died from a kick in the knee. My grandmother used to talk to me about her beloved son, an uncle I never met. Of course, nowadays he would live, but the fascinating quest for new life-enhancing, life-saving drugs continues. This has been a fantastically interesting series to work on, particularly since my last foray into the world of science was at school!" Edi Stark PROGRAMME DETAILS Tuesday 26 February 2002 Depression A severe life-threatening depression is dramatically described by the writer Andrew Solomon. He candidly expresses the extent to which depression consumed his life and how he has recovered. His personal story is intertwined with physicians and pharmacologists explaining, not only why some people get depressed and others don't, but how the drugs we are prescribed work in our brain to make us feel better. RELATED LINKS ANAESTHESIA: Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland Institute for the study of healthcare organisations and transactions: consciousness during surgery Anaesthesia Awareness Royal College of Anaesthetists ASTHMA: National Asthma Campaign American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology DEPRESSION: History of Medicine Online: Article on History and theories of depression (pre-20th Century) Everything you could ever ask to know about Prozac from Web MD Health Depression Site from drug company Organon HEART: British Heart Foundation BBC heart guide Nobel-e-Museum: Biography of Sir James Black SLEEP: Benzodiazepine addiction, withdrawal and recovery, many good articles Sleep disorders info and links to many national organisations National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: article on the effect of alchol on sleep GENERAL: Vitamins, minerals and supplements (e.g. St John's Wort) in the treatment of angina, depression, insomnia and asthma The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites Audio Help DON'T MISS PREVIOUS PROGRAMMES Heart Disease Sleep Anaesthesia Asthma Depression Latest Programme Health & Wellbeing Programmes Current Programmes Archived Programmes

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