Quinine overdose: Not quite gin and tonic.

Quinine has been used in Western medicine since the 16th century, and far longer in South America. It has gained an undeserved reputation as an effective treatment for leg cramps and continues to be widely used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere despite warnings from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The effects in overdose are outlined and a personal perspective of scientific investigation of treatments at one time advocated provided.

Systematic differences between healthcare professionals and poison information staff in the severity scoring of pesticide exposures.

Context: Severity scores are used in triage and for data comparison in cases of poisoning. Exposure severity scores have not been generally validated and their utilization by healthcare staff other than specialists in poison information (SPIs) is untested.

Objective: To compare the poisoning severity grading allocated in pesticide exposure cases by healthcare professional enquirers and poison information staff.