Dr. John A. Talbott, Champion of Care for the Mentally Ill, Dies at 88
Dr. John A. Talbott, a psychiatrist who championed the care of vulnerable populations of the mentally ill, especially the homeless — many of whom were left to fend for themselves in the nation’s streets, libraries, bus terminals and jails after…
SmileDirectClub Shuts Down, Months After Filing for Bankruptcy
SmileDirectClub, a telehealth company that sold teeth-straightening devices through the mail and faced criticism from medical groups, said on Friday that it had shut down. The company, founded in 2014, sold teeth aligners online and in its shops for $1,850….
F.D.A. Approves 2 Sickle Cell Treatments, One Using CRISPR Gene Editing
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first gene editing therapy ever to be used in humans, for sickle cell disease, a debilitating blood disorder caused by a single mutated gene. The agency also approved a second treatment…
He Was Diagnosed With Lyme Disease. Why Did the Treatment Have No Effect?
The couple couldn’t quite remember when the 61-year-old man started to get sick. Was it before he retired the previous spring? No — it was later, the man insisted. But both men agreed that they knew something was seriously wrong…
Bellevue Hospital Rushes Patients Into Weight-Loss Surgery
Early one morning in February, a guard clanged on the door of David Mustiga’s jail cell on Rikers Island. Soon, the 43-year-old was shackled and put on a bus to Bellevue. Rikers detainees often struggle to get even rudimentary medical…
White House Delays a Decision on Banning Menthol Cigarettes
The Biden administration delayed a decision on Wednesday about whether it would ban menthol cigarettes amid intense lobbying from tobacco companies, convenience stores and industry-backed groups that contend that billions of dollars in sales and jobs will be lost. The…
How to Protect Your Dog From the ‘Mystery’ Respiratory Disease
As an unidentified canine respiratory illness continues to pop up in clusters around the United States — causing symptoms like cough, fever and lethargy, and in more serious cases, hospitalization or death — many dog owners are wondering what steps…
‘Medical Freedom’ Activists Take Aim at New Target: Childhood Vaccine Mandates
For more than 40 years, Mississippi had one of the strictest school vaccination requirements in the nation, and its high childhood immunization rates have been a source of pride. But in July, the state began excusing children from vaccination if…
William P. Murphy Jr., an Inventor of the Modern Blood Bag, Dies at 100
Dr. William P. Murphy Jr., a biomedical engineer who was an inventor of the vinyl blood bag that replaced breakable bottles in the Korean War and made transfusions safe and reliable on battlefields, in hospitals and at scenes of natural…
Brain Implants Helped 5 People Recover From Traumatic Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries have left more than five million Americans permanently disabled. They have trouble focusing on even simple tasks and often have to quit jobs or drop out of school. A study published on Monday has offered them a…