Medicine - The Cutting Edge - Stem Cells, Genes, and Super-beams

Oct 13, 2026

Explores how medical ideas become real treatments through research, experimentation, and clinical validation. Covers the evolution of medicine over thousands of years, including early practices and discoveries, then explains the step-by-step process from early hypotheses to cell and animal testing, followed by controlled clinical trials with placebo and double-blind methods. Introduces key modern themes including stem cells, gene work, man vs. machine technologies, super-beams, and related concepts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages64

Reading Time2 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

The Big Picture

Why didn't I think of that?

Getting it right

The life story of an idea

KING cOUNTY LIBRARY sYSTEM NG EDGE2016766681 # MEDICINE Anne Rooney 1This is no longerproperty ofKing County Library SystemBOTHELLLu11JU JUN2006 THE CUTTING EDGE # MEDICINE Stem Cells,Genes,and Super-beams Anne Rooney Heinemann LibraryChicago,Illinois ◎2006 Heinemann Librarya division of Reed Elsevier Inc.Chicago,Ilinois Customer Service 888-363-4266 Visit our website at www.heinemannraintree.com All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in anyform or by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopying,recording,taping,or any information storage and retrieval system,without permission in writingfrom the publisher. Designed by Richard Parker and Tinstar Design www.tinstar.co.ukPrinted and bound in China by South China Printing Company 100908070610987654321 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rooney,Anne. Medicine /Anne Rooney. p.cm.-(The cutting edge) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-403-47428-1(library binding-hardcover)--ISBN 1-403-47434-6(pbk.) 1.Medicine--Juvenile literature.2.Medicine--History--Juvenile literature.3.Medical technology--Juvenile literature.·1.Title.II.Series:Cutting edge(Chicago,Ⅲ.) R133.5.R662007 610-dc22 2005018018 Acknowledgements The author and publishers are grateful to the following for permission to reproducecopyright material:Bridgeman Art Library p.5;Corbis pp.14,16,20,24,26,27,38,49;Getty pp.7,9,31,42;Science Photo Library pp.11,21,28,33,35,41,44,47,48,51,53;Welcome pp.4,8,12,19,23,32,37; Cover photograph of a digitally altered image of a person in a positron emissiontomography scanner.A beam of light connects the person's head to the scanningequipment.,reproduced with permission of Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis. Illustrations by Jeff Edwards. Our thanks to Ann Fullick for her assistance in the preparation of this book. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of any material reproduced in thisbook.Any omissions will be rectified in subsequent printings if notice is given to thepublishers. The paper used to print this book comes from sustainable resources. Contents The Big Picture.. ……………4 Stem Cells………………… ………8 Working with Genes. ………16 Man and Machine.. ……22 …………30 Super-Beams………… New Parts for Old .. …………………38 Superbugs and Superdrugs…………………………46 Glossary………………… ……54 ……55 Further Resources. Index. ………56 Some words in the book are in bold, like this. You can find out what they mean by looking in the glossary. # The Big Picture have continued to suffer or evenbeen poisoned.Today,we testan idea for a new treatment inmany ways before we try it onreal patients. Medicine,the science ofhealing the sick,has beenpracticed for thousands ofyears.Even the earliesthumans used plants as ## Why didn't I thinkof that? Some ideas are so obvious thateveryone thinks of them.Forexample,most societies have developed ways of bandaging injuriesand of holding the edges of wounds.together.By watching the results oftreatments,they have developedbetter ways to treat patients. Some ideas come from nowhere,as flashes of inspiration.Otherideas build on existing knowledge.Often combining knowledge fromdifferent areas can produce newand exciting ideas. Early people in manyparts of the worldpracticed trepanning—boring holes in the skullto release pressure or"evil spirits."Evidencefrom bones shows thatmany patients survived. medicines and tried simple surgicalprocedures,such as putting splintson broken bones.But over the last200 years,we have made hugeprogress in medicine.We now usetechniques our ancestors couldnever have imagined. Hit and miss Early medical discoveries cameabout by trial and error.Fromtrying plants,fruits,and seeds,people have discovered somevaluable medicines.Many of theseare still used as ingredients inmodern drugs.But in the process ofdiscovery,many other people must # Getting it right Ma

FAQs

How do medical ideas turn into safe, practical treatments?

An idea is first tested and often modified. It then goes through laboratory cell trials, animal testing, and finally clinical trials with strict controls to confirm safety and correct effects.

What are clinical trials and why do they use control groups?

Clinical trials test medicines and techniques on healthy people and later on patients. Treated patients are compared with a control group, often given a placebo, so researchers can judge real effects versus expectations.

What does a “double blind” test mean in medical research?

In this type of test, neither patients nor often even medical staff know who receives the placebo or the treatment, reducing the risk that expectations change outcomes.

Oct 13, 2026

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