Two Accidental Discoveries in Healthcare

Introduction

            The field of medicine contains a plethora of therapies that started as accidental discoveries. Many of the treatments used today resulted from observing nature and exploring the observed causes. For example, in the 1700s, Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids appeared immune to Smallpox. Through observation and experimentation, he discovered that Coxpox proved effective in preventing Smallpox, which was the beginning of vaccinations (Stewart & Devlin, 2006). The pattern of observation and discovery in healthcare continues today.  

The Warfarin Discovery

            Warfarin is a medication used to prevent blood clots and treats various medical conditions such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. Without the discovery of Warfarin, cardiac valve replacement surgery and ventricular assist devices would not exist.

            In the 1920s, a catastrophic hemorrhagic illness caused many cattle deaths in the mid-western United States. Farmer's were troubled by the uncontrolled and unexplained bleeding in cattle after a minor surgical procedure or birth. This disease puzzled scientists and farmers because the animals appeared healthy until injured. Dr. Frank Schofiled, a veterinarian, grew curious about the condition called Sweet Clover Disease and discovered moldy hay eaten by cows contributed to the syndrome (Meek, 2013).

            The mold's causative agent responsible for the bleeding remained elusive until Dr. Karl Paul Link, a chemist, isolated Dicumarol from the mold. The discovery of Dicumarol leads to the synthesis of Warfarin Sodium, also known as Coumadin (Hall & Wilkins, 2005).

            The scientist's investigations started with an inquiry into the cause of hemorrhagic disease in cattle and resulted in a life-changing discovery. Today, Coumadin remains one of the most critical medications available to physicians in treating disease and is listed on the World Health Organizations' list of 100 essential medications (Pirmohamed, 2006).

From Chemical Warfare to Hope

            Mustard gas is a chemical used as an area denial weapon and first saw use in the trenches during World War One. The gas causes horrific blisters resulting in chemical burns to the skin and lungs, leading to death in the unlucky and permanent blindness in the survivors (Duchovic & Vilensky, 2007). However, the mechanism behind the gruesome injuries remained elusive until the discovery of deoxyribonucleic acid.

            On December 2^nd, 1943, an attack by the Luftwaffe on the port of Bari, Italy, resulted in 617 injuries and 83 deaths resulting from Mustard Gas exposure (Conant, 2020). The cause of death and injuries remained a secret until after the end of the War. The investigating officer, Colonel Cornelius Rhoads, observed victims who initially survived the original injuries subsequently died of various blood dyscrasias. During autopsies, Dr. Rhoads discovered bone marrow depletion in the victims (Plunkett, 2014).

The incident resulted in the accidental discovery of chemotherapy and led to the modern treatment of cancer (Conant, 2020). Dr. Rhoads convinced General Motors founders Alfred Sloane and Charles Kettering to establish the Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research (Conant, 2020). The institution explored mustard gas analogs and medical applications that persist to this day in cancer treatment.

Today, the healthcare industry frequently looks to nature for solutions to treat disease. Many of these discoveries are incidental observations that result in medical advances. Those discoveries improve the quality of life and offer hope where none previously existed.

 

References

Conant, J. (2020). The Great Secret. The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer. W. W. Norton & Company.

Duchovic, R. J., & Vilensky, J. A. (2007). Mustard gas: its pre-World War I history. Journal of chemical education, 84(6), 944.

Hall, A., & Wilkins, M. (2005). Warfarin: a case history in pharmacogenetics.

Meek, T. (2013). This month in 1939: How dead cattle led to the discovery of Warfarin [Informational]. PMLiVE. Retrieved 4/27/2021, from http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/how_dead_cattle_led_to_the_discovery_of_warfarin_485464

Pirmohamed, M. (2006). Warfarin: almost 60 years old and still causing problems. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 62(5), 509-511. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2006.02806.x

Plunkett, G. (Ed.). (2014). Death by Mustard Gas - How Military Secrecy and Lost Weapons Can Kill. Big Sky Publishing.

Stewart, A. J., & Devlin, P. M. (2006). The history of the smallpox vaccine. Journal of Infection, 52(5), 329-334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2005.07.021