Tailpiece

Thanks, Hippocrates,

for the first miracle drug'

The title of a recent paper by the director of a longevity centre.

The paper went on:
`aspirin is the unsung hero of 20th century medicine… it reduces the incidence of infarctions by almost one half and if introduced early it is responsible for a further reduction in mortality… it is incumbent upon primary care physicians to make full use of aspirin _ the oldest of the miracle drugs.' =

`...yet only 45% of patients treated at a US teaching hospitals received aspirin and less than 25% within half an hour of arrival when administration is most effective...'

Robert Butler
Director, International Longevity Centre,
Mount Sinai Medical Centre, New York.
Geriatrics: 1998;53:15

...and that seems to say it all!