Journal Call no. | AP8.W56 |
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Author | Jones, Allison. |
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Article Title | Prescription for disaster / Allison Jones. |
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Is Part Of | Window ; v.4, no.4, 27 Jan-9 Feb 1995, p.32-37, illus. |
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Abstract | Hongkong's citizens have long had a weakness for potions and palliatives. And some of the territory's doctors are happy to oblige. They frequently send their patients home with a bewildering cocktail of pills to fix a cold that nothing but rest will cure. Antibiotics have revolutionised the treatment of bacterial diseases over the past half-century. But the tendency of some doctors to indiscriminately dole out vast quantities of these wonder drugs has helped bacteria mutate into new forms that are proving increasingly drug-resistant. That - coupled with the discovery of lethal new viruses - has some experts convinced man's victory over common diseases may be short-lived. |
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