Blood Purity: How a Bizarre Obsession Advanced Science

Blood Purity: How a Bizarre Obsession Advanced Science

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 31, 2013

Already years before the Nazis came to power, German scientists were propagating theories about blood purity. Though this obsession led to bizarre and dangerous theories about superiority and personality traits, it also led to medical breakthroughs. By Frank Thadeusz more... Comment ]

Good Food, Lots of Sex: Wisdom from the Medicine Man of Zanzibar

Good Food, Lots of Sex: Wisdom from the Medicine Man of Zanzibar

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 29, 2013

For years, desperation has driven sick people from around the world to the island of Zanzibar. There, a respected medicine man offers them an unorthodox prescription for returning to health: good food -- and lots of sex. By Bastian Berbner in Zanzibar City more... Comment ]

Deadly Drug Trials: Western Firms Bribed East German Doctors

Deadly Drug Trials: Western Firms Bribed East German Doctors

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 22, 2013

It wasn't just the East German government that benefited from risky patient drug trials commissioned by Western pharmaceutical manufacturers decades ago. These companies also sent liaisons with lavish gifts to bribe and influence doctors to participate. By Nicola Kuhrt and Peter Wensierski more... Comment ]

Testing Meds: Companies Look Overseas for Cheap Subjects

Testing Meds: Companies Look Overseas for Cheap Subjects

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 14, 2013

For years, major pharmaceutical companies have been testing new drugs in developing countries like India. The practice is forbidden, but the use of subcontractors makes it difficult to detect. By Nicola Kuhrt more... Comment ]

Deadly Side Effects: New Details Emerge in East German Drug Test Scandal

Deadly Side Effects: New Details Emerge in East German Drug Test Scandal

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 14, 2013

Until the fall of the Wall, Western pharmaceutical companies conducted drug trials in East German hospitals. More than 50,000 patients served as subjects, often without their knowledge, and many died. The human experiments haven't been fully investigated to this day despite fresh evidence of wrongdoing. By Nicola Kuhrt and Peter Wensierski more... Comment ]

Lost in Paradise: The Chained-Up Mentally Ill of Bali

Lost in Paradise: The Chained-Up Mentally Ill of Bali

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 10, 2013

Not far from the glistening beaches of Bali, mentally ill people are kept in chains or locked up in small shacks. Locals simply don't know what else to do with them. But psychiatrist Luh Ketut Suryani has made it her job to set them free. By Katrin Kuntz more... Comment ]

Parenthood for Sale: Spain in Crisis Becomes Fertility Destination

Parenthood for Sale: Spain in Crisis Becomes Fertility Destination

SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 09, 2013

Even as the economy has tanked, Spain in recent years has become a destination for women and couples seeking to become pregnant through in vitro fertilization. Egg donors are plentiful. By Helene Zuber more... Comment ]

Open Wide: Dentist Pulled 20 Teeth Without Asking Patient

Open Wide: Dentist Pulled 20 Teeth Without Asking Patient

SPIEGEL ONLINE - April 30, 2013

There are good dentists and bad ones, but here's a story of the dentist from hell. He pulled 20 of a patient's teeth without asking for permission. He appealed against a decision to revoke his license -- and lost. more... Comment ]

Non-Embryonic Stem Cells: The Dawning of a New Era of Hope

Non-Embryonic Stem Cells: The Dawning of a New Era of Hope

SPIEGEL ONLINE - April 05, 2013

Ethical worries have slowed medical research into applications for stem cells. But scientists like Robert Lanza have developed less controversial ways to derive stem cells from normal body cells rather than embryos and are already launching the first clinical trials. By Philip Bethge more... Comment ]

World from Berlin: German Bishops Accept Morning-After Pill

World from Berlin: German Bishops Accept Morning-After Pill

SPIEGEL ONLINE - February 22, 2013

In a significant reversal just one month after two Catholic hospitals refused to treat a victim of sexual assault, Germany's bishops on Thursday approved the use of the "morning-after pill" in rape cases. German commentators say the step doesn't go far enough. more... Comment ]

Genetic Risks: The Implications of Embryo Screening

Genetic Risks: The Implications of Embryo Screening

SPIEGEL ONLINE - February 08, 2013

A controversial procedure that lets would-be parents test embryos for certain genetic defects will soon be allowed in special cases in Germany. What does this mean for society? By Kerstin Kullmann more... Comment ]