The procedure has been called “one of the most barbaric mistakes ever perpetrated by mainstream medicine.” Back when medicine was highly primitive, the process involved shoving an ice pick-like instrument between the upper eyelid and the eye in hopes of severing certain nerves of the frontal lobe.

It’s a rainy day and the markets are all but inspiring. So take gains on Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited (NYSE:RDY) and buy yourself a cuppa cheer!

The sequencing of the human genome has resulted in the emergence of an enormously important new branch in the biotechnological sciences. The most common terms for this field are bioinformatics or computational biology.

Biopharma Vical (NASDAQ:VICL) has risen to its highest share price in a year — and with rumors of a buyout offer, it shows no sign of stopping.

“You think they’re your friends, but they’re not your friends.” This was the frequent refrain from a landlord I had while in college. He was warning us on the danger of throwing parties and inviting people who we considered friends, but would think nothing of trashing the place.

The best things come in little packages. We proved it once today. Kewaunee Scientific (NASDAQ:KEQU) may be your shot at another double-digit winner.

Monsanto Corp. (NYSE: MON), the world’s largest seed maker, says it’s on track to more than double its 2007 profit by the year 2012 and is expecting a “technology explosion” to provide even stronger products going forward. But while Monsanto continues to build on its reputation as a cutting edge agricultural business, it is also under siege by competitors and advocacy groups who claim the company is a monopoly.

Currently, medicine is, to a large degree, a “one size fits all” proposition. Doctors watch for adverse effects and check personal and family histories. Medical technologies, however, are designed for the general population, not individuals. That’s going to change.

At the Agora Financial conference in Vancouver, I participated in a panel that attempted to name “the trade of the decade.” Many of the recommendations involved commodity or resource plays.

In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) alerted the public that a worldwide pandemic of swine flu (H1N1) was sweeping the globe.  Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have stated that the swine flu virus could infect up to 40% of Americans over the next couple of years.  At last count, the CDC said there are 43,771 swine flu cases that have been reported in America, and 302 deaths have been associated with the disease.