The Analysis of a Drug Circular as a First-Day Assignment for Freshman Chemistry A Jump Start for the Semester Anthony J. Millevolte University of Wisconsin Center-Barron
County Rice Lake, WI 54868
Often. it seems. that for the first week a freshman-level chemistry d3s.i i s iikt: anoverloaded alplane trying toget off of the mound. The orofessor is anxious to know what kind of studeik he or shebas or hasn't been blessed with and the students are filled with preconceptions of what a wllege-level chemistry course is. ORen for the students chemistry is a necessary evil that they are about to e n d m a hazing procedure they have paid money and signed up for. I have found that much of this anxiety can he alleviated by providing a substantial assignment a t the end of the first class meeting. I hand out copies of a drug circular which, in our case, describes Zovirax.1 Zovirax is a n antiviral medication that acts on many of the herpes-type viruses. These include chickenpox, shingles, and oral and genital herpes--maladies that most students are familiar with. Drug circulars can be found in sample medications that are distributed by physicians or they can be found in e~ the circulars for all the Physician's Desk ~ e f e r e n c where currently used drugs are available. For motivational and discussion purposes, I also hand out a list of questions that will be graded and which is due the next day. These questions collectively serve a s a scavenger hunt to prompt the students to work their way through the information. The students are intimidated by the language and symbolism in the document, but they are a s equally interested in it, especially when it is pointed out that, quite often, this is the primary source of information that medical practitioners use when prescribing a drug. Some of the questions included: What is the generic name for the active ingredient in Zovirax? What is the
chemical name? How does it work? Who manufactures Zovirax? What is the patent number? What conditions is it used for? How well, in your opinion, does Zovirax work in the case of chicken pox? Are there any drugs that should not be taken with Zovirax? In what journal issue and page would one find information on pbssihle fetal abnormality in rats after exposure to high levels of Zovirax? Upon reviewing the worksheet, the students had far more questions for me than I had for them. This included discussing t h e pictorial r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of 9-12-hydroxyethoxy)-methyllguanine (Zovirax), pharmacokinetics, LDm, mean plasma half-life, the inhibition of aDNA polymerase by acyclovir triphosphate, double-blind studies, industrial chemistry, scientific journals, rational drug design, patent law, GATT, and more. Many of the students brought in information that they had learned in other places and could now plainly see how chemistry, in its natural state, is not a n isolated academic subject. Many of their auestions exhibited frustration with the lanrmaee and seemed to anticipate many of the subjects tha; they were about to learn in the course. Finally, the students did quite well a t this exercise after working hard a t it. I t set the pace for the semester and served to connect their hard work with their success. 'Zovirax is a registered trademark of the Burroughs Welicome Co. 2~ircularsfound in the Physician's Desk Reference are subiect to copyright restrictions
Volume 72 Number 12 December 1995
1085
