Seizure—into the new millennium

The new millennium.

Inherited neurodegenerative diseases, characterised by progressive symptoms and a lengthy disease course, present a significant economic and psychological burden to affected families. The Department (now Division) of Human Genetics at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has a long history of research into these conditions, beginning under the leadership of Prof. Peter Beighton in 1972. This resea...

The New Millennium

My interest in inherited eye disease was initiated at the genetic outreach clinics conducted by the University of Cape Town (UCT) Department of Human Genetics at schools for visually and hearing-impaired children in the Western Cape. As a clinical registrar from 1992 to 1998, I accom panied Prof. Peter Beighton on numerous clinics, where I developed a fascination for understanding the genetic m...

Psychiatry in the New Millennium.

Psychiatry enters the new millennium grappling with complexity at many levels. Gone are many simple ideas, for example, that there is “a gene for schizophrenia” or “a gene aggression”. Gone are simple ideas that related single neurotransmitters to mental disorders. Gone too are the ideas that correlated circumscribed brain regions with particular cognitive or emotional functions. Instead behavi...

New Directions for the New Millennium

Transfusion in the new millennium

Prehistoric man left drawings of himself pierced by arrows. This means he was as aware of blood as he was of his own limbs. The flint implements he used as tools and weapons distinguished him from other creatures and contributed to the violence of his era. As he hunted food and fought enemies, he observed bleeding and the properties of blood. A cut, received or inflicted, yielded a vivid red co...