| Text only | |||||
 |
 |
||||
|
|||||
This course sets out to map many of the key milestones in Medical Science through the ages. From early prehistoric attempts to understand the most basic problems with human health to our current position of knowing the entire human genome, this has been an incredible voyage of discovery. By focussing on some of the most important medical break-through and innovations, the course will demonstrate how we have progressed from a world where health was governed by the gods and illness was caused by evil spirits to our current highly disciplined approach to combat diseases. It will also highlight the ways technological advances have brought about revolutionary changes to the way we diagnose and treat specific diseases and conditions. Throughout the course, the multidisciplinary nature of this broad subject area will be emphasised with a view to identifying the emergence of the core disciplines associated with the School of Medical Sciences. There will also be a strong emphasis on the important contributions made by Aberdeen medical scientists to the advancement of medical knowledge and the treatment of disease.
Course Co-ordinators:Dr John Barrow (j.barrow@abdn.ac.uk)
Dr Gordon McEwan (g.t.a.mcewan@abdn.ac.uk)
Course Aims & Learning Outcomes
•To provide a basic understanding of the medical sciences in general.
•To provide an overview of medical advancements throughout history.
•To provide an understanding of fundamental aspects of medical sciences applied to you and the wider population.
•To provide knowledge of basic techniques for assessing medically relevant topics.
A series of lectures introducing medical advancements through time and then focusing on four key themes in the Medical Sciences.
Lecture 1: Course Introduction – Drs Gordon McEwan & John Barrow
Distribution of course manuals, outline of the course and general introduction
Theme 1: Medicine through the ages
(Dr Gordon McEwan)
Lecture 2: From stone hut to King Tut
The history of medicine from very early prehistoric evidence to the Egyptians and how they began on the road to medical understanding.
Lecture 3: What did the Romans ever do for us?
Actually the ancient Greeks and Romans did quite a lot for us. Find out what in this lecture.
Lecture 4: Out of the dark and into the light
How the Renaissance paved the way for a modern way of medical thinking.
Lecture 5: Cows, frogs and quackery
From the eradication of smallpox to the discovery of nerve impulses and how medical science began to dispel the myths and folklore of the quacks.
Lecture 6: Do you want it pasteurised?
How the medical sciences were used in the fight against infection and germ control.
Lecture 7: Can we cure it?
The possible future of the medical sciences and where our knowledge will take us will be discussed.
Lecture 8: Medical ethics – Drs Gordon McEwan and John Barrow
A PRS-based presentation which will explore your attitudes to challenging ethical issues created by medical science.
Theme 2: It’s what’s inside that counts
(Drs John Barrow & Steve Tucker)
Lecture 9: Dissecting out the facts – Dr John Barrow
How did we go from a society that had no knowledge of what makes us human to understanding how we are made?
Lecture 10: The history of microscopy – Dr Steve Tucker
A brief history of some of the greatest leaps in the medical sciences that allowed us to see a microscopic world.
Lecture 11: Seeing the impossible – Dr John Barrow
How did we make the leap from diagnosis of internal injuries or disease through touch to using x-rays and other imaging tools?
Lecture 12: Light microscopy and histology – Dr Steve Tucker
A continuation from the previous microscopy lecture, we will discover how medical scientists changed our understanding of how life is constructed through microscopy.
Lecture 13: Modern microscopy – Dr Steve Tucker
How do we currently use microscopes? What do they allow us to see? What do they hold for the future of medical research?
Lecture 14: Imaging living organs – Dr John Barrow
How can clinicians see through your body to understand your deepest thoughts? How can they image your internal organs? What does the future hold for medical imaging?
Theme 3: Drug discovery and disease
(Dr Steve Tucker & Prof Mary Cotter)
Lecture 15: History of opioid pharmacology – Dr Steve Tucker
What are the opioids? How where they discovered? What are their uses both today and throughout history?
Lecture 16: Opioids, pain and Kosterlitz – Dr Steve Tucker
How were the opioids used to treat pain, and who is this Kosterlitz guy?
Lecture 17: Cannabis through the ages – Dr Steve Tucker
We all know what cannabis is used for, but how were its properties first discovered and what therapeutic uses does it have?
Lecture 18: Drug discovery: the rise of Viagra – Dr Steve Tucker
An example of how a drug developed for treating one condition became particularly useful in an entirely different situation.
Lecture 19: Discovering insulin – Prof Mary Cotter
A look at how insulin was first discovered and how Aberdeen had a huge role to play in its discovery.
Lecture 20: Pharmacology of addiction – Dr Steve Tucker
We all have the potential to be addicts. This lecture will discuss the role that the pharmacology plays in us being susceptible to addiction.
Lecture 21: Is there life after Medical Sciences? – Drs Gordon McEwan & John Barrow
Of course there is! We will discuss some of the career options open to you after you graduate with your shiny new BSc in the medical science disciplines.
Theme 4: Blood and immunity
(Drs Allison Carrington & Alison Jack)
Lecture 22: A brief history of immunology – Dr Allison Carrington
What is immunology? How has it developed, and how was it discovered?
Lecture 23: Vaccines – why and how? – Dr Allison Carrington
How were vaccines first discovered? Why is vaccination such a good tool to eradicate diseases? What consequences did vaccination have on our population?
Lecture 24: Poisons and venoms – Dr Alison Jack
The world is full of poisonous and venomous plants and animals but have you ever wondered what the killer ingredient in snake venom is or what is in magic mushrooms that causes your head to spin? This lecture will look at all this and more, discussing some of the world’s most dangerous plants and animals and explaining why even drinking water can be deadly. We will also look at how poisons can be harnessed for good and used in the treatment of disease.
Lecture 25: Water: getting the balance right – Dr Alison Jack
We all know that water is essential for life, unless perhaps you are a Martian. Too much body water however is as dangerous to well-being as not having enough. This lecture will consider why both dehydration and over-hydration are potentially fatal conditions.
Theme 5: DNA and the book of life
(Dr John Barrow)
Lecture 26: What’s all this “genes” stuff about?
What are genes? Why are they so important? What is their purpose?
Lecture 27: DNA + life = molecular biology
How does molecular biology affect your everyday life? What milestones have led to molecular biology even existing as a science?
Lecture 28: Are we all mutants?
This lecture will focus on the mutations that can occur, some good and some bad, in our DNA.
Lecture 29: Genomes, Pharming and more...
Do you know what Pharming is? Ever heard of Dolly? This lecture will discuss the science behind some of the recent medical milestones that may affect us all.
Lecture 30: Exam and course review – Drs Gordon McEwan & John Barrow
A follow up lecture following the exam and a final course review.
You are expected to attend ALL practical sessions to obtain a class certificate. There are practical sessions throughout the course and each practical will be run three times during the week. During the introduction lecture each student will be placed into one of the practical groups: A, B or C. Swaps of practical groups are only possible if discussed with the course-coordinator as soon as possible after this first lecture. Practical sessions will be based at the Zoology Building in Lab G11. Attendance will be taken at all practical classes.
Practical manuals will be distributed at each practical class and they will be available on MyAberdeen a week before each class is due to start. Please read through the practical manual using MyAberdeen so that you have some knowledge of what is expected of you in the practical classes. Below is a brief synopsis of each practical class.
Medical Challenges
This part of the course will run over three practical sessions, and will culminate in the presentation of your work at a poster symposium in the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS). It is designed to provide you with a chance to study topical issues in the medical sciences with a chance to carry out some in-depth research. It is also intended as an introduction to carrying out project work on your own, without too much supervision. Over the three practical sessions you will design a scientific poster based on a topic of your choice. The first session will involve you splitting into groups and picking a medically relevant topic. At the end of the second session you will submit your poster. In the final session you will present your work during a visit to the IMS at Foresterhill.
Medical Measurements
This practical class will involve you making basic medically relevant measurements on each other and yourself. This practical will make use of the PRS handsets that you have all been issued with as a first year student in the School of Medical Sciences.
Who’s the Strongest? Men vs. Women
In this practical class you will measure grip strength and determine if men are stronger than women or if this is simply a myth. You will also gain experience of more detailed measurements using electromyography (EMG) equipment to measure electrical activity in muscle during contractions.
Blood Typing Analysis
This practical class will give you experience of blood typing in a “real life” scenario.
There is a regular programme of seminars given throughout the academic year by invited specialists from within the broad fields of medical science research.
These are usually held in the IMS Building or in the Suttie Centre at Foresterhill. Check the School of Medical Sciences (www.abdn.ac.uk/sms) or IMS (www.abdn.ac.uk/ims) websites for specific times and locations of seminars.
As you are studying within research-driven disciplines, we strongly feel that you should attend these whenever possible, with a view to broadening your appreciation of medical sciences. You will also be directed to attend any other relevant seminars when they arise.
The University has strict regulations on plagiarism. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism read the University guide on plagiarism at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/writing.
Copying or plagiarising another person’s work, either from other students or published material in books or papers and submitted as your own for assessment is considered a form of cheating. This is considered by the University to be a serious offence and will be penalised according to the extent involved and whether it is decided there was an attempt at deliberate deception, or whether bad practice was involved. If you do use information or ideas obtained from textbooks or other published material you must give a precise reference to the source both at the appropriate point in your narrative and in a list of references at the end of your work. Direct quotations from published material should be indicated by quotation marks and referenced in the text as above.
Students are expected to attend ALL lectures, practical and lab classes and to complete all exercises by the given deadlines. The minimum performance acceptable for the granting of a class certificate is attendance at 50% of the lectures and practical classes, and presentation of all set course work. Failure to achieve this may result in your class certificate being withheld. The course assessment consists of 100% continuous assessment based on your marks from all practicals and your in-course exam. There is no written examination in January. The resit examination in August will consist of a one hour MCQ examination and will carry 70% of the final mark; the remaining 30% will come from previous continuous assessment. The overall performance of the student will be expressed as a grade awarded on the attached Common Assessment Scale (CAS).
Dr John Barrow
Dr Allison Carrington
Prof Mary Cotter
Dr Gordon McEwan
Dr Michael Scholz
Dr Derryck Shewan
Dr Steven Tucker
Dr Alison Jack, School of Medical Sciences
If students have difficulties with any part of the course that they cannot cope with alone they should notify the course coordinator immediately. If the problem relates to the subject matter you may be best advised to contact the member of staff who is teaching that part of the course. Students with registered disabilities should contact either the IMS based School Office, Miss Lyndsay McEwan (l.mcewan@abdn.ac.uk) or the Old Aberdeen office associated with the teaching laboratories, Mrs Sheila Jones (s.jones@abdn.ac.uk) to ensure that the appropriate facilities have been made available. Otherwise, you are strongly encouraged to contact any of the following as you see appropriate:
• Course student representatives
• Course co-ordinator
• Convenor of the Medical Sciences Staff/Student Liaison Committee (Dr Gordon McEwan)
• Adviser of studies
• Disabilities Co-ordinator (Dr Derryck Shewan)
All staff are based at Foresterhill and we strongly encourage the use of email or telephone the SMS Office. You may have a wasted journey travelling to Foresterhill only to find staff unavailable.
We value students’ opinions in regard to enhancing the quality of teaching and its delivery; therefore in conjunction with the Students’ Association we support the operation of a Class Representative system.
The students within each course, year, or programme elect representatives by the end of the fourth week of teaching within each half-session. In this school we operate a system of course representatives. Any student registered within a course that wishes to represent a given group of students can stand for election as a class representative. You will be informed when the elections for class representative will take place.
What will it involve?
It will involve speaking to your fellow students about the course you represent. This can include any comments that they may have. You will attend a Staff-Student Liaison Committee and you should represent the views and concerns of the students within this meeting. As a representative you will also be able to contribute to the agenda. You will then feedback to the students after this meeting with any actions that are being taken.
Training
Training for class representatives will be run by the Students Association. Training will take place in the fourth or fifth week of teaching each half-session. For more information about the Class representative system visit www.ausa.org.uk or email the VP Education & Employability vped@abdn.ac.uk. Class representatives are also eligible to undertake the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award, further information about the co-curricular award is available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/careers.
The University operates a system for monitoring students' progress to identify students who may be experiencing difficulties in a particular course. If the Course Co-ordinator has concerns about your attendance and/or performance, the Registry will be informed. The Registry will then write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to ask you to contact the Senate Office in the first instance. Depending on your reason for absence the Senate Office will either deal directly with your case or will refer you to your Adviser of Studies or a relevant support service. This system is operated to provide support for students who may be experiencing difficulties with their studies. Students are required to attend such meetings with their Adviser of Studies in accordance with General Regulation 8.
Set criteria are used to determine when a student should be reported in the monitoring system. You will be asked to meet your Adviser if any of the following criteria apply for this course:-
either (i) if you are absent for a continuous period of two weeks or 25% of the course (whichever is less) without good cause being reported;
or (ii) if you are absent from two small group teaching sessions e.g. (laboratory/tutorial classes) without good cause;
or (iii) if you fail to submit a piece of summative or a substantial piece of formative in-course assessment by the stated deadline
If you fail to respond within the prescribed timescale (as set out in the e-mail or letter) you will be deemed to have withdrawn from the course concerned and will accordingly be ineligible to take the end of course assessment or to enter for the resit. The Registry will write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to inform you of this decision. If you wish consideration to be given to reinstating you in the course you will be required to meet the Convener of the Students' Progress Committee.
Students who attend and complete the work required for a course are considered to have been awarded a ‘Class Certificate’. Being in possession of a valid Class Certificate for a course entitles a student to sit degree examinations for that course. From 2011/10 class certificates will be valid for two years and permit a total of three attempts at the required assessment within that two year period i.e. the first attempt plus up to two resits.
You will receive a University e-mail account when you register with the University Computing Centre. The University will normally use e-mail to communicate with you during term-time. These e-mails will be sent to your University e-mail account, which you can access using Studentmail@Aberdeen.
It is your responsibility to check your e-mail on a regular (at least weekly) basis and to tidy the contents of your e-mail inbox to ensure that it does not go over quota (see www.abdn.ac.uk/studentmail/mail.shtml for guidance on managing your e-mail account). It is recommended that you use your University e-mail account to read and respond to University communications. If you already have a non-University e-mail account that you use for personal correspondence, it is possible to set up automatic forwarding of messages from your University e-mail account to your personal e-mail address but, should you do so, it is your responsibility to ensure that this is done correctly. The University takes no responsibility for delivery of e-mails to non-University accounts.
You should note that failure to check your e-mail or failure to receive e-mail due to being over quota or due to non-delivery of an e-mail forwarded to a non-University e-mail account would not be accepted as a ground for appeal.
Absence from Classes on Medical Grounds
Candidates who wish to establish that their academic performance has been adversely affected by their health are required to secure medical certificates relating to the relevant periods of ill health (see General Regulation 17.3).
The University’s policy on requiring certification for absence on medical grounds or other good cause can be accessed at:
www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x5.pdf
You are strongly advised to make yourself fully aware of your responsibilities if you are absent due to illness or other good cause. In particular, you are asked to note that self-certification of absence for periods of absence up to and including eleven weekdays is permissible. However, where absence has prevented attendance at an examination or where it may have affected your performance in an element of assessment or where you have been unable to attend a specified teaching session, you are strongly advised to provide medical certification (see section 3 of the Policy on Certification of Absence for Medical Reasons or Other Good Cause).
Feedback Framework
The University recognises that the provision of timely and appropriate feedback on assessment plays a key part in students learning and teaching. The guiding principles for the provision of feedback within the University are detailed in the Institutional Framework for the Provision of Feedback on Assessment available at www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x8.pdf.
Enhancing Feedback:
The University recognises both the importance of providing timely and appropriate feedback on assessments to students, and of enabling students to voice views on their learning experience through channels such as Student Course Evaluation Forms and Class Representatives. FAQs, guidance and resources about feedback can be found on the University’s ‘Enhancing Feedback’ website at: www.abdn.ac.uk/clt/feedback
Appeals and Complaints
The University’s appeals and complaints procedures provide students with a framework through which to formalise their concerns about aspects of their academic experience or to complain when they feel that standards of non-academic service have fallen short of that which they expected.
The process has been designed to make the appeals and complaints process as accessible and simple as possible and to provide a robust, fair mechanism through which to ensure that all appeals and complaints are considered in the appropriate way at the appropriate level.
A major feature of the process is the emphasis it places on early or informal resolution. All students should note that there is an expectation that they will take responsibility for seeking resolution of their academic or non-academic concerns by raising and discussing them at the earliest possible stage with the relevant individuals in an academic School or administrative Service.
Further details of the processes for making an appeal or complaint, including where to find further help and support in the process, is given at: www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/appeals
MyAberdeen (the University of Aberdeen’s Virtual Learning Environment)
MyAberdeen is the University of Aberdeen’s Virtual Learning Environment. This is where you will find learning materials and resources associated with the courses you are studying.
MyAberdeen also provides direct access to TurnitinUK, the originality checking service, through which you may be asked to submit completed assignments.
You can log in to MyAberdeen by going to www.abdn.ac.uk/myaberdeen and entering your University username and password (which you use to access the University network).
Further information on MyAberdeen including Quick Guides and video tutorials, along with information about TurnitinUK, can be found at: www.abdn.ac.uk/students/myaberdeen.php
Information about academic writing and how to avoid plagiarism can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism.
Aberdeen Graduate Attributes
Graduate Attributes are a wide-ranging set of qualities which students will develop during their time at Aberdeen in preparation for employment, further study and citizenship.
There are four main areas of the Graduate Attributes:
• Academic excellence
• Critical thinking and communication
• Learning and personal development
• Active citizenship
Students have many opportunities to develop and achieve these attributes. These include learning experiences on credit-bearing courses and co-curricular activities such as work placements, study abroad and volunteering. In accordance with the University’s commitment to Equality and Diversity, students can request support with any aspect of the Graduate Attributes framework.
The ACHIEVE website offers resources that enable students to assess and reflect upon their present skills and development needs. The website also contains resources to help students to improve their skills and links to a range of university services such as the Careers Service and the Student Learning Service. Students can access ACHIEVE from their MyAberdeen site in the ‘My Organisations’ section. More information about Aberdeen Graduate Attributes and ACHIEVE can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/graduateattributes.
The Co-curriculum
The co-curriculum enhances a student’s employability and provides opportunities to develop and achieve Aberdeen Graduate Attributes. Co-curricular activities complement a student’s degree programme and include: work placements, study abroad, enterprise and entrepreneurship activities, the BP Student Tutoring Scheme, career mentoring and the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award initiative. Below are examples of credit-bearing co-curricular activities. It is anticipated that these types of activity will be included on an enhanced transcript for students graduating in, or after, 2012/13
ERASMUS is an exchange programme funded by the European Commission which enables students to study or work in another European country as part of their degree programme. Eligible students will receive a grant to help with extra costs while abroad and a number of our partner institutions teach through English. For more information, visit www.abdn.ac.uk/erasmus/. The University also has opportunities for students to study in a non-European country as part of their degree through the International Exchange Programme. International partners include universities and colleges in North America, Hong Kong and Japan (www.abdn.ac.uk/undergraduate/international-exchange.php). The University aims to ensure full academic recognition for study periods abroad, therefore the credits gained from study abroad will count towards the Aberdeen degree programme for students participating in both ERASMUS and the International Exchange Programme.
Work placements can also form an integral part of a degree programme and attract academic credit. Placements are available locally, nationally and internationally, lasting from a few weeks to a full year and are generally paid. Visit the Careers Service website for further placement information and to find available work placements.
Further information about the co-curriculum is available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/careers
Personal Developmental Planning
Level 1 and 2 students are encouraged to develop a Personal Development Plan (PDP) to help them learn more effectively, make the most of their University time and plan for their future. Further details on PDP can be accessed from the School website at www.abdn.ac.uk/sms - click on "Undergraduate Teaching".
Guide to Citing and Referencing
This guide should be used to assist you when completing any work for disciplines in the School of Medical Sciences. All work should include citations at appropriate places in the text, with a complete reference list at the end of the assignment. If diagrams/ graphs/ tables are copied or adapted from other publications/ websites, the sources must also be cited in the legend for that item, and included in your reference list.
Good citing and referencing not only improves the quality of your work, but it gives credit to the authors of original work, and makes it less likely that you can be accused of plagiarism. Further guidance on writing and plagiarism may be found at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/writing/ . When you submit work for marking, you are declaring that YOU are the author, that you have not copied it or plagiarised any material from other sources, AND that all sources of information have been acknowledged in your text. Students may be penalised by the University if found guilty of plagiarism.
Students are warned to be careful if using websites as sources of information. These may be inaccurate and are often not peer-reviewed. You are strongly encouraged to use advanced textbooks, peer-reviewed papers or reviews as the sources of your information in your work. Students are also advised to avoid quoting chunks of text in their work. Just because you put quotation marks around some text does not mean that you have not plagiarised it. Try and explain ideas and concepts in your own words.
The referencing style used here is Harvard, similar to that recommended by the University Library (see their factsheet for further information on referencing). Students must use this style of citing and referencing for all work. Other styles are not acceptable. Marks may be deducted if students do not cite or reference properly (see specific marking schemes for details).
Citing references within the text
You must provide citations in the text at the appropriate places by putting the author’s surname and year of publication in round brackets immediately after the relevant text (author, date method).
Author, date method
Jones et al. (1999) has argued that….
Studies have produced conflicting results…..(Bloggs, 2000; MacDuff et al., 1993)
Smith stated (1990)…..and then later work confirmed this (2003)…..
Bloggs (2001) investigated…..
One author (Bloggs, 2000)
Two authors (Smith & Jones, 1982)
Three or more authors (Chesterfield et al., 1995)
If the same author(s) wrote two or more papers in the same year Thwaites et al. stated (1990a)…..and then provided further evidence (1990b)…..
N.B. “et al.” should be in italics, as should all other Latin words/phrases in your text (e.g. in vitro). There is also a full stop after “et al.”, since it is an abbreviation of “et alia” (“and others”).
Listing your references at the end of your work
Your list of references must place the surnames of the first authors in alphabetical order. List all authors of a piece of work unless there are a large number.
Format of references at the end of your work
Book - whole Rang, H.P., Dale, M.M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. 6th Ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Book – article or chapter within Johnson, D. & Smart, J.S. (1983) Advanced techniques in measuring athletic performance. In: S. Roberts, ed., Sports Science in the Laboratory. London: Macmillan, pp. 3-28.
Journal – article within Furchgott, R.F., Zawadzki, J.V. (1980) The obligatory role of endothelial cells in the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine. Nature. 288(5789), 373-6.
Website Department for Education and Employment (2000). Student loans: guidance on terms and conditions from April 2000. [online]. Available from: http://www.dfee.gov.uk/loan2000/index.html [Accessed 23rd March 2006]
