(formerly "&%! The Group Formerly Known as Chem Wagon")
"Chemwagon" brought together a group of mutual aquaintances. We were friends from obvious places, like the residence halls and previous chemistry classes, as well as campus activities like Summer Welcome, Outreach, and steering committees. Even after forming a group, coining a name, and officially logging on as "&%!," we still had yet to meet. The sad story of "&%!" is that it never truly existed--we lost two founding members who dropped the class. As our group shrank (those who fled will remain anonymous), we renewed our spirits with new names. Our core members, Betsy, Nita, Sara, and Heidi, finally settled on the straightforward "BANGSNHR." You, the viewer, may not immediately understand the perfection of our name. There are two reasons we are all happy to be BANGSNHR members: the capital letters give it IMPACT, and it can be pronounced out loud a couple of different ways. On a practical level, though, we'll already know how to revise our name should any of our current members become casualties of the course.
Eventually, (with help--thanks!!) we came up with...
|
After deciding to focus our project on pharmaceuticals, Heidi's experience working in the University Hospital pharmacy became important. She suggested Atropine as a project topic because of its versatility.
We began our search in the directory of the MU home page but realized this spectrum was not broad enough. Expanding our search, we tried the following: Yahoo, Science magazine, Webcrawler, Excite, InfoSeek, Lycos, and Library of Congress. In these programs, we approached this drug from various perspectives: pharmaceuticals, chemistry, medicine, and biology. Later, with a little more Web experience, we searched for bonus sites to add graphics and fun information.
Versatility is the hallmark of Atropine. It is
generally present in prescription form, but can also be the
active ingredient in over-the-counter medications. Its effects,
based on blocking nerve transmitters, range from pain relief to muscle relaxation to cardiac stimulation 
.
It can be a big help to those people with malfunctioning
orifices, as well, in its anti-drooling
and potent anti-diarrheal forms.
Atropine exists in many different varieties, each with properties enhanced in order to increase medical effectiveness against specific problems. These traits are actually the direct result of slight variations in chemical properties. Do you want to compare the chemical structures of Atropine? Those students setting the curve may appreciate a more in-depth analysis of the drug.
While Atropine is indisputably valuable in treating many health problems, it has significant side effects, too. In fact, these side effects can be quite severe, and patients must be careful with the drug. Check out some serious warnings and consumer advice about the drug.
It gets even worse, though! This valuable, life-saving medication truly has Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde characteristics--it is a poison under some circumstances. You can see why Atropine has become a cultural icon--this drug has symbolic value both to Wiccan and poetic culture.
"Auf Wiedersehen!"
