|
|
The word drug comes from the Dutch word droog (meaning "dry"). For centuries, most drugs came from dried plants, hence the name.
On average, the stomach produces 2 L of hydrochloric acid per day.
More than 2,500 barbiturates have been synthesized. At the height of their popularity, about 50 were marketed for human use.
Historic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis have included gold salts, acupuncture, a diet consisting of apples or rhubarb, nutmeg, nettles, bee venom, bracelets made of copper, prayer, rest, tooth extractions, fasting, honey, vitamins, insulin, snow collected on Christmas, magnets, and electric convulsion therapy.
In the United States, an estimated 50 million unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed for viral respiratory infections.