Dispensary Corner 01 Jun 10
June 1, 2010
MORPHINE’S nothing on this frog!
Scientists and frog lovers alike
are over the moon at a UK
aquarium’s successful breeding
Phantasmal poison frog program,
which has produced a total of 26
tadpoles.
Measuring a mere 1 centimetre,
adult poison frogs kill anybody who
comes into contact with their skin.
Currently facing extinction in its
native habitat of Ecuador’s Andes
mountains, adult poison frogs at
least give warning of their
presence - being coloured bright
red with three fluorescent green
stripes down their backs.
Although deadly, scientists are
excited about the frog boom, due
to the fact that recent studies
have found an extract from its
skin has the power to block pain
200 times more effectively than
morphine - without the addictive
side effects.
TATTOOS:- the secret weapon
against porphyria.
A 55-year old Californian
woman, Julia Gnuse, has been
given the prestigious Guinness
Book of Records title of “World’s
Most Tattooed Woman” after
undergoing 20 years of inking.
Upon receiving her title Gnuse
told the media that she began her
tattoo collection in order to cover
up scars created by her porphyria
skin condition - which basically
means that when exposed to
sunlight her skin blisters (which can
get as bad as a third degree burn).
“I had a friend, who is a plastic
surgeon, who suggested tattooing
my skin the same colour to the
scarring that I had, seeing if we
can match my just pale-looking
skin that I had,” Gnuse said.
“We tried it, [but] it was very
difficult to match [my skin] so I
had the idea of a colorful tattoo,
then I got hooked,” she added.
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