Shop-front of Baildon & Son

Photograph: black and white; Baildon & Son Storefront, Shandwick Place, Edinburgh. Depicts typical apothecary's shop front with show globes on display. Example of ""severe simplicity"" of shop-front. Displays only show globes in front windows. Carboys are typically relagated to top of the window, but here they are shown in plain view

Anatomical and physiological changes with age

This chapter is aimed to help to inform designers new to the active ageing market. The chapter looks at changes in the body that occur with age, with an emphasis on “natural changes” rather than clinical conditions. The difficulty with this is that one of the aspects of ageing is that the older we get, the more likely we are to see the effects of time, through wear and tear, e.g., osteoarthritis, development of cataracts, development of late-onset diabetes, etc. A lot of the literature is rightly concerned with diseases and their symptoms and how they affect the body. However, to avoid looking at old age as a medical condition, it is necessary to look at the changes that are natural and that affect all of us with time. Many of these changes are not changes of old age but age in general, and may occur earlier or later in different people depending on genetic and environmental factors. It is important that ageing is viewed as continuum in that we start to age as soon as we are conceived. Changes occur naturally as puberty leads to adulthood, and as we age so we realize, in the words of a song about old age by John Gorka, “Things aren't the way they used to be.

Characteristics of deaths associated with kratom use.

BACKGROUND: Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth) use has increased in Western countries, with a rising number of associated deaths. There is growing debate about the involvement of kratom in these events. AIMS: This study details the characteristics of such fatalities and provides a 'state-of-the-art' review. METHODS: UK cases were identified from mortality registers by searching with the terms 'kratom', 'mitragynine', etc. Databases and online media were searched using these terms and 'death', 'fatal*', 'overdose', 'poisoning', etc. to identify additional cases; details were obtained from relevant officials. Case characteristics were extracted into an Excel spreadsheet, and analysed employing descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. RESULTS: Typical case characteristics (n = 156): male (80%), mean age 32.3 years, White (100%), drug abuse history (95%); reasons for use included self-medication, recreation, relaxation, bodybuilding, and avoiding positive drug tests. Mitragynine alone was identified/implicated in 23% of cases. Poly substance use was common (87%), typically controlled/recreational drugs, therapeutic drugs, and alcohol. Death cause(s) included toxic effects of kratom ± other substances; underlying health issues. CONCLUSIONS: These findings add substantially to the knowledge base on kratom-associated deaths; these need systematic, accurate recording. Kratom's safety profile remains only partially understood; toxic and fatal levels require quantification