Universal Medicine

Matthew Downes Following the gradual decline of the number of new Covid-19 cases, economists and epidemiologists have been engaged in a tense debate regarding the appropriate time to remove lockdown. Finding a compromise between public health and financial wellbeing has been a topic of much consideration. Given the gradual phasing out of the lockdown over recent weeks and the continued efforts to return societal function to normal, it is the perfect time to explore the factors driving these decisions from both a medical and an economic standpoint. When the lockdown was first implemented, an anticipated recession occurred due to the trading activity of many businesses ceasing, from local stores to national conglomerates. As expected, containment policies put in place by the government helped flatten the medical curve while simultaneously steepening the recession curve. While the UK’s response to the virus was lacklustre when compared to other European countries (every European country ...

Gemisha Cheemungtoo Upon the wake of Britain lifting its lockdown, the idea of introducing an immunity certification scheme is under consideration by our government. Discussion with digital tech companies is underway about potentially issuing digital certificates based on antibody test results. These 'immunity passports' would help verify your movement across different social groups, from meeting co-workers to caring for vulnerable family members at home.    The impact of COVID-19 is still fresh on our minds as the search for a vaccine continues, however the concept of health-based categorisation in society is not new. Examples in history have been highlighted by Virginia Berridge, Professor of History and Health Policy at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine during a virtual talk about a public health identity emerging from COVID-19 antibody test results. These include the Yellow Fever outbreak in 19th-century New Orleans, premarital certification to confirm a syphi...

Shilpi Awasthi Postpartum depression (PPD) is a clinical condition that has a severe impact on mood and lasts for more than 10 days after delivery. Symptoms include feelings of worthlessness, shame, lack of motivation and thoughts of hurting oneself or the baby. It is diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). In comparison to postpartum blues, PPD lasts longer and has a more severe impact on the mother. Worldwide, PPD affects up to 15% of mothers and  87% of these women do not seek or attain support. Barriers to this may be due to a lack of education and social stigma. Some of the pathological theories for PPD correlate to those explaining psychiatric illnesses. This may not be justified as there are many biological and social events that occur exclusively to women during pregnancy and postpartum. Given the lack of current biological understanding, this article aims to explore the hypothesis of Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HP...

Karina Dembla  20 seconds. Running water. Soap. Palm to palm, back of the hand, in between the fingers and under the fingernails. Sound familiar? These are the steps to simple routine handwashing. It drastically reduces hand microbial contamination and limits the transfer of microbes on to surfaces, other body parts and people. Soap is composed of a mixture of fats, water and alkali. Its molecular structure consists of a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and a hydrophobic (water-hating) tail. The hydrophobic tail embeds itself into the lipid membrane of pathogens, disrupting their weak chemical bonds. The soap molecule then assembles into micelles around these pathogen fragments, making them soluble in water. The friction created during lathering and rinsing with water, allows the residues to be washed off the surface of hands.  In today’s world, where convenience and accessibility are the norms, many individuals rely on the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers (ABHS). The produ...