— William Hunter and William Smellie, considered by many to be the fathers of British obstetrics, may have masterminded the murders of up to 40 women in the 18th century. The two allegedly used henchmen to deliver pregnant women for study, according to a new paper, which places their serial killing prowess above even Jack the Ripper. But some believe that the doctors simply were not aware of how the women may have died. (Guardian)

— Two Congressmen have asked the US Health Resources and Services Administration to look into funding of AIDS nonprofits nationwide. The probe follows a Washington Post series that found the District’s Department of Health had given over $25 million toward local nonprofits, some of which may have had questionable accounting and services. (WaPo)

— An artificial pancreas showed promise in a study of 17 children and teens with type 1 diabetes. During the 33 nights they used the system, which combines a monitor and insulin pump, none of the patients experienced episodes of significantly low blood sugar. By comparison, they experienced nine cumulative episodes over the course of 21 nights when they instead used a continuous insulin pump, which doses at a predetermined rate. For more on the artificial pancreas, check out our recent post on its development, as well as the efficacy of insulin pumps. (BBC)

— The taxman is playing both friend and foe to the pharmaceutical industry. A tax credit in the US Senate version of health care reform would allow for R&D grants to small biotech firms, covering up to 50% of project costs (NJ Star-Ledger). On the other hand, President Obama’s budget proposal last week included a 35% tax on overseas profits, worrying companies like Merck, which reportedly generated 88% of its income between 2004 and 2008 from overseas. (NYTimes)

Image by Matt from London via Flickr Creative Commons