10 - What’s in a (Drug) Name?

Summary

For millions of people, normal eating is impossible, including persons with chronic bowel disorders, individuals suffering from extensive burns, and patients recovering from major surgery. Not only adults but also newborns and young children are vulnerable. Stanley Dudrick was not the first surgeon to confront this grave reality, but he was the first to devise a highly effective method to feed those who would otherwise succumb from undernourishment. The method is known as Total Parenteral Nutrition. It involves injecting liquid food directly into the bloodstream by a tube connected to a vein, thus bypassing the stomach and small intestine. In the 1960s, medical professionals claimed that feeding a patient entirely by vein was impossible; even if possible, it would be impractical; and even if practical, it would be unaffordable. Through tenacious experimental research, Dudrick proved them wrong, in the process giving life and hope to many who would otherwise have perished.