[Venom as a cure--some notes on ancient medicine].

Very little is known today about the linguistics and facts relating to venoms in the ancient world. The article concerns itself initially with the terminology: How were venoms conceptualized and what position did they occupy among medicines and other poisons? Additionally ancient knowledge of the constitution and location of the venoms will be examined. Furthermore, it shall be outlined how it was perceived that the poisons actually took effect.

Ethical implications of the increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine.

Background: The increasing demand for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) raises ethical questions about specific aspects of both CAM and conventional medicine (COM).

Methods: The present article provides a critical survey of the most important ethical aspects in the current debate about CAM.

Results: The relevant ethical issues arise mainly in 4 main areas: 1) patient information, 2) research ethics, 3) cost, and 4) education.

[About the Schönlein-biographer Erich Ebstein (1880-1931) and the rediscovery of a part of Schönlein's papers].

With this contribution, we draw attention to the rediscovery of a part of Schönlein's manuscripts which were thought to have been destroyed during World War II, with particular focus on the German-Jewish physician and medical historian Erich Ebstein (1880-1931) and his achievements in researching Schönlein. This is a first attempt at determining the value of Ebstein's literary estate for subsequent research on Schönlein. Furthermore, several current projects concerning Schönlein are presented.

[Investigations about concept and history of apitherapy--a contribution to complementary alternative medicine].

Since a few decades one can recognize a continuous boom of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM). Against this background in the present manuscript the conceptual, historical and methodical requirements of the so-called Apitherapy, which has been in an institutionalization process since approximately four decades ago, are investigated. As one result of these investigations the bee venom therapy is here characterized as the real root of this relative new stream within the natural medicine.