Ulcer wars.

An account of the discovery by Dr. Barry Marshall (formerly Royal Perth Hospital, W. Australia, now University of Virginia) that gastric and duodenal ulcers are caused by a bacterium, helicobacter pylori, which can eventually cause stomach cancer and is likely to be asscoiated with heart disease. The resistance Dr. Marshall encountered from the medical profession and pharmaceutical companies led him to carry out an unorthodox experiment on himself to prove his case. The usual treatment for this condition was a partial gastrectomy or long-term administration of anti- acid drugs which alleviated but did not cure it, whereas Dr. Marshall found that it could be cured by simple and inexpensive medication. The programme provides a highly detailed account of his research and its implications for the prevention of stomach cancer and heart disease.