biology

Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy

Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy rather than just read about it. In short: Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy (SMON) is an iatrogenic disease of the nervous system leading to a disabling paralysis, blindness and even death. Its defining manifestation was as an epidemic in Japan during the 1960s: the Japanese government estimated 11,000 were affected; however, the College of Medicine at the University of Tokyo put the number at 30,000, citing a lack of preservation of medical records for longe…

Key takeaways

Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy (SMON) is an iatrogenic disease of the nervous system leading to a disabling paralysis, blindness and even death. Its defining manifestation was as an epidemic in Japan during the 1960s: the Japanese government estimated 11,000 were affected; however, the College of Medicine at the University of Tokyo put the number at 30,000, citing a lack of preservation of medical records for longer than five years and a lack of cooperation from doctors as the reasons for the discrepancy. In September 1970 the president of the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council, Morizo Ishidate, ordered a stop to the use of clioquinol, marketed as quinoform, because he had correctly deduced that SMON was caused by clioquinol intoxication. On August 3, 1978, the Tokyo District Court ruled that the cause of SMON is Clioquinol. Its manufacturer, Ciba-Geigy, has publicly stated that "Medical products manufactured and sold by us have been responsible for the occurrence of [SMON] in Japan, we extend our apologies." SMON was first observed and diagnosed in Sweden 1966, by the pediatrician and neurologist Olle Hansson. Clioquinol was marketed as a prophylaxis to tourist diarrhoea. Dr. Olle Hansson was in the front line, fighting for a ban of clioquinol. Doctors in many countries boycotted Ciba-Geigy for many years. Not until 1985 was the pharmaceutical withdrawn. Dr Hansson died a few months later. The day of his death, May 23, is observed as the Anti-Hazardous Drug Day in several parts of the world.

References

Further reading Reisaku Kono, "Relation between Subacute Myelo-Optic Neuropathy (S.M.O.N.) and Clioquinol: Nationwide Survey", The Lancet, V301, I7796, January 27, 1973, pp. 171–173 Reisaku Kono, "The S.M.O.N. Virus Theory", The Lancet, V306, I7930, August 23, 1975, pp. 370–371 Reisaku Kono, Yoshigoro Kuroiwa, "Subacute Myelo-Optic Neuropathy is not a special form of multiple sclerosis", The Lancet, V320, I8292, July 31, 1982, p. 267 Hansson, Olle: "Inside Ciba-Geigy". IOCU 1989. ISBN 967-9973-26-3.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy

In research: Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Nervous system disease stubs, Neurological disorders, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy in simple terms?

Why does Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Subacute myelo-optic neuropathy.