Your views on the biological activity of turmeric and the value of comics

Yellowbelly

Regarding the trials of turmeric (Chemistry World, December 2019, p50), it is important to note that the concept of the microbiome is slowly coming in from the cold, even though there is not yet any agreed mechanism by which it exerts its effects. It is likely that turmeric gains its benefit by not being absorbed into the body, and therefore simply passing on down to feed our microbiota. There is ample evidence that an effective, working microbiome can produce messenger chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin that improve our health via stimulation of the gut–brain axis. Conversely, turmeric may be ineffective in those individuals whose microbiome is not working effectively. The implications of this understanding are profound. In particular, searching for bioactive compounds that explain the activity of a complex insoluble mixture such as turmeric may yet turn out to be a prolonged and expensive folly.

Regarding the trials of turmeric (Chemistry World, December 2019, p50), it is important to note that the concept of the microbiome is slowly coming in from the cold, even though there is not yet any agreed mechanism by which it exerts its effects. It is likely that turmeric gains its benefit by not being absorbed into the body, and therefore simply passing on down to feed our microbiota. There is ample evidence that an effective, working microbiome can produce messenger chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin that improve our health via stimulation of the gut–brain axis.1 Conversely, turmeric may be ineffective in those individuals whose microbiome is not working effectively. The implications of this understanding are profound. In particular, searching for bioactive compounds that explain the activity of a complex insoluble mixture such as turmeric may yet turn out to be a prolonged and expensive folly.

Dave Smith, CChem MRSC
Alnwick, UK

Reference

1 S Jheeta and D Smith, Med. Hypotheses, 2019, 125, 70

Graphic scenes

Until now, I have hesitated to protest regarding the use of cartoon history images in the magazine. I thought it was some short term aberration on the part of the editors. You must know that chemists of my vintage were taught the history of chemistry alongside facts, figures and formulae.

Was it intended to encourage ‘children of the profession’ who happen to find the magazine at home and thus might join the faith, I mused. In the case of my eldest son he was four before he discovered, to his intense relief, that profession was not hereditary. Unfortunately, he is now a chartered engineer.

I have been so irritated that I even contemplated resigning but then I realised that some years ago I purchased life membership.

David Purdy, CChem MRSC
Cranham, UK

Features editor Neil Withers responds:

Our correspondent will be pleased to know that December’s installment (Chemistry World, December 2019, p36) was the last of our comics celebrating the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT). Our short term aberration is now over – but may return in future issues to celebrate chemistry in a graphical way.

One of the motivations behind publishing these comics was indeed to reach out to a broader audience, and we regret that our efforts came too late to save our correspondent’s son from his dire circumstance. We hoped that readers might pass the comics on to interested friends or family and help spread the excitement of the IYPT. If any teachers have used the pages to adorn their classrooms or labs, we would be extremely happy.

I hope the source of irritation regarding our comics isn’t related to their accuracy or the thought that publishing them was an easy option. In the course of commissioning the comics, I wrote some 3500 words of briefing notes, using around 25 references to historical sources, textbooks and journal articles. Our writer produced over 17,000 words of scripts, including dialogue, captions and scene directions for the artists, using over 50 references – from Breughel paintings to JACS articles. Many of the characters in the comics are speaking dialogue that their real historical counterparts said or wrote – according to the sources available. A Nobel laureate was even kind enough to check the script in which he appeared, and was happy with the result.

We received lots of praise for our comic series but we also realise that, serving a readership of over 50,000 diverse members, we will never be able to please all of them with everything we publish. I hope our correspondent continues to enjoy their life membership – and future issues of Chemistry World – for many years to come.

Corrections

Image 1 on p40 of last month’s issue (Chemistry World, December 2019) should have labelled nudicaulin II as (3R,11S).

November’s puzzle pages contained two errors (Chemistry World, November 2019, p62). The wordoku was missing an E in the bottom right-hand corner, which may have led some readers to complete the grid incorrectly. In addition, as fans of photography darkrooms will know, hypo is not a developer. The clue to the cryptic crossword entry for 23 down should therefore have been ’You endlessly alter pH for this fixer’. Thank you to John Campbell for bringing these mistakes to our attention.

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