Journal of IiME Volume 3 Issue 1 www.investinme.org The 4tthh Invest in ME International ME/CFS Conference 2009 Emeritus Professor of Medicinal Chemistry the University of Sunderland Professor Hooper has published some 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals in the field of medicinal chemistry. He has By Professor Malcolm Hooper Conference Introduction Invest in ME conferences have rightly become renowned for their high quality and eminent international speakers who have successively presented the most up to date biomedical information about this perplexing and devastating illness. ME is a complex chronic multi-system illness, CMI. Myalgic encephalomyelitis, muscle pain with inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, is a term that is both clinically meaningful and accurately descriptive of the nature of the illness. It has been known since 1934. The name, first coined in 1956 by Donald Acheson who subsequently became Chief Medical Officer, was included, for the first time, in the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Disease in 1969 chapter G.93.3, neurological conditions. To this day it is still so classified and the UK Government has stated that it accepts this classification although in every other way is acting and legislating to the contrary. The introduction in 1988 of the alternative description, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, CFS, describes only a symptom and has led to confusion, deception and obfuscation resulting in Invest in ME (Charity Nr. 1114035) served on committees of the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC). He is a member of a number of learned bodies, including the Royal Chemical Society, the British Pharmacological Society and the Society for Medicines Research, where he has served on the committee for 12 years and served as Chairman for 2 years. He was appointed Chief Scientific Advisor to the Gulf Veterans Association (GVA) and accepted by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as their nominee on the Independent Panel established to consider the possible interactions between Vaccines and NAPS tablets. His involvement with the GVA brought contact with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and related disorders. Gulf War Illness/Syndrome (GWI/S) has much in common with ME/CFS. He worked with the Autism Research Unit (ARU) at the University of Sunderland for over 20 years, leading to involvement in biochemical studies to offer help, support and treatment for people with autism. He served on the General Synod of the Church of England from 1970 to 1980 and he is a Christian Lay Leader, Preacher and Teacher. Page 56/76
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