Therapeutic Research
In the late 1960s, Alan Scott, MD, a San Francisco ophthalmologist, and Edward Schantz were the first to work on a standardized botulinum toxin preparation for therapeutic purposes. By 1973, Scott (now at Smith-Kettlewell Institute) used botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in monkey experiments, and, in 1980, he officially used BTX-A for the first time in humans to treat "crossed eyes" (strabismus), a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other, and "uncontrollable blinking" (blepharospasm). In 1993, Pasricha and colleagues showed botulinum toxin could be used for the treatment of achalasia, a spasm of the lower esophageal sphincter. In 1994, Bushara showed botulinum toxin injections inhibit sweating. This was the first demonstration of non-muscular use of BTX-A in humans.
Read more about this topic: Botulinum Toxin
Famous quotes containing the words therapeutic and/or research:
“As a science of the unconscious it is a therapeutic method, in the grand style, a method overarching the individual case. Call this, if you choose, a poet’s utopia.”
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955)
“One of the most important findings to come out of our research is that being where you want to be is good for you. We found a very strong correlation between preferring the role you are in and well-being. The homemaker who is at home because she likes that “job,” because it meets her own desires and needs, tends to feel good about her life. The woman at work who wants to be there also rates high in well-being.”
—Grace Baruch (20th century)