Ученики академика В.П. Филатова вспоминают: он учил не поддаваться давлению авторитетов. Однажды, осматривая больного, обратился к коллегам: «Посмотрите, какой рефлекс, как реагирует зрачок на свет». Все стали наклоняться, освещать глаз и соглашались.
«Все посмотрели?» - обратился Владимир Петрович к коллегам. А потом взял офтальмоскоп и постучал его ручкой прямо по глазу. Раздался стеклянный звук: «Это глаз-протез. Зрачок на нем - нарисованный, он не реагирует на свет. Никогда не поддавайтесь давлению авторитетов.
Кто-то из вас заметил, что зрачок не движется, но вы промолчали. Хотели мне угодить. Этого делать нельзя, истина важнее всего».
***
(many thanks to

leto_12)
***
The students of the eminent Russian ophthalmologist V.P. Filatov reminisce about how he taught them not to yield to pressure from figures of authority. One time, while examining the patient, he addressed his colleagues: "Look at the pupillary reflex, how the pupil constricts from the light." Everyone started bending down to shine the light into the patient's eye, and everyone agreed with him.

"Has everyone looked?" Vladimir Petrovich asked his colleagues. And then he picked up the ophthalmoscope and tapped its handle right on the eye. Everyone heard a glassy sound: "This eye is a prosthetic eye. The pupil on it is painted on, it does not react to light. You should never yield to pressure exerted by figures of authority.

Some of you must have noticed that the pupil is immobile, but you kept silent. You wanted to please me. That is something you should never do, the truth reigns supreme, above everything else."

"She smiled at him very graciously when he was introduced to her."

From the chapter, "Princess Orchid's Party"

From the book "Fairies I Have Met" by Mrs. Rodolph Stawell, so beautifully illustrated by Edmund Dulac (French-born, British naturalised magazine illustrator, book illustrator and stamp designer, 1882-1953)

And here's the link to the entire book!

https://archive.org/details/fairiesihavemet00staw
~~
Somewhat related:

Mermaid Folktales: A 19th Century History

An idle inquiry:

Why are Kinder Surprise Eggs Banned in the United States, from "Today I found out"

...which led me to an interesting but very grim bit of history of medicine I'd not heard of before:

(caveat lector):

Sulfanilamide Disaster
Taste of Raspberries, Taste of Death
The 1937 Elixir Sulfanilamide Incident, FDA Consumer magazine, June 1981

Modern psychopharmacology:

Why combination nootropics (aka "genius pills") are not a good idea
(thanks to

supergee for the link!)

Upcoming solar eclipse:

Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses, from NASA

Cats and Humans:

Saved, by a Whisker--a very nice cat story and more from Gene Weingarten, in this weekend's Washington Post Magazine

...and, of course, Sherlock Holmes:

A Guide to Writing Sherlockian Biscuit Habits, from the enigmaticpenguinofdeath's Tumblr

Complications of “chronic Lyme disease" reported

Cases have reported in which treatment for "chronic Lyme disease" resulted in the development of septic shock, osteomyelitis, Clostridium difficile colitis, or paraspinal abscess. [Marzec NS and others. Serious bacterial infections acquired during treatment of patients given a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease—United States. MMWR 66:607-609, 2017] "Chronic Lyme disease" is not a valid diagnostic entity. Lyme disease infections are usually cured by 2 to 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment. However, a small network of physicians and their patients have been barraging the public with claims that thousands of people being maimed, killed, and bankrupted each year by chronic Lyme disease. They incorrectly assert that Lyme is a deadly, chronic disease that requires long-term antibiotic therapy even though clinical trial evidence shows no advantage over placebo treatment. [Melia TM, Auwaerter PG. Time for a different approach to Lyme disease and long-term symptoms. New England Journal of Medicine 374:1277-1278, 2016]

(from Dr. Barrett's Quackwatch newsletter)

( Two more: )

Little girl takes hamster who hasn't moved in days to vet - who makes a very odd discovery

Life would be a lot easier - and interesting - if our pets could talk.
As it is, we have to try and guess what's ailing our furry friends when we sense something is amiss.

No one, however - not even an rodent expert - could have guessed what was wrong with one worried little girl's hamster when she took it in to see the vet.

Science:

Scientists found 2 new primates, and they look like the best 'Star Wars' character.

This Awesome Periodic Table Tells You How to Actually Use All Those Elements

(you can download a printable version, too)

Medicine:

A Critical Look at "Dr." Robert Young's Theories and Credentials, which also explains in lay terms why all those "excess acidity in your blood is the cause for 99% of all illnesses" claims are utter nonsense.

A bit of retro-futurism:

How Soviet Artists Imagined Communist Life in Space

Vocabulary, reading, and writing:

The Grandiloquent Word of the Day 2018 Wall Calendar--take a look at some sample pages, and perhaps even make a pledge? ;)

Medieval Women Writers

A Guide to Writing Sherlockian Tea Habits

British Idioms, from Agatha Christie's Works
( here they are: )
Applied psychology:

5 things I didn't want to hear when I was grieving and 1 thing that helped.

(nothing earth-shattering, but well-written)

Maryland attractions:

North Beach: Exploring a Local Gem

How to deal with tick bites, from Medstar Washington Hospital Center

20 of the funniest school signs ever

A free course: Intro to classical Latin

"Time and the Fates of Man" sculpture in Brookgreen Gardens, SC

About the sculpture

Sago palm, aka a pinecone on a palm

18 Science Facts We Didn't Know at The Start of 2017

...I must say, #1 is quite surprising:

1. Lungs don't just facilitate respiration - they also make blood. Mammalian lungs produce more than 10 million platelets (tiny blood cells) per hour, which equates to the majority of platelets circulating the body.

A measles case has been confirmed in Washington, DC

The Last Person You'd Expect to Die in Childbirth

The emerging and often drug-resistant fungus Candida auris continues to spread in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.

(the above two articles are from Medscape, free and quick registration required)

Court case highlights nurses' duty to follow EMTALA

When Nurses Make Fatal Mistakes

Support for the Second Victim: Caring for Our Own, from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses

(Support the Second Victim: Health professionals suffer distress after poor patient outcomes, even if no error occurred.)
~~

...and if anybody is interested in my comments about any of these, let me know, I'll share...:P ;)

Implantable Reveal LINQ cardiac rhythm monitor from Medtronic--paperclip size, implanting only takes a couple minutes, works for three years

Medstronic SEEQ portable cardiac monitoring system--stick it on and it's good for 30 days...no wires or electrodes

"Medicine used to be simple, ineffective, and relatively safe...now it is complex, effective, and potentially dangerous."

(Sir Cyril Chantler)

"Depression: let’s talk" says WHO, as depression tops list of causes of ill health

News release

30 March 2017 | GENEVA - Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. According to the latest estimates from WHO, more than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015. Lack of support for people with mental disorders, coupled with a fear of stigma, prevent many from accessing the treatment they need to live healthy, productive lives.

The new estimates have been released in the lead-up to World Health Day on 7 April, the high point in WHO’s year-long campaign “Depression: let’s talk”. The overall goal of the campaign is that more people with depression, everywhere in the world, both seek and get help.

Said WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan: “These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency that it deserves.”

Read further: http://who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/world-health-day/en/

This is a one-person play, a graduation project for theater majors.

Only 12 minutes, and well worth watching ;)
~~

Originally posted by

65redroses at Just the vocal mask.

So a new friend, Johanna kindly cut down my gala video so that it's just the vocal mask. Here it is in case anyone wanted to post it or watch it without having to join veho.

Life on ward 8A from Johanna on Vimeo.

Health Notice for District of Columbia Health Care Providers

Updates on Zika Virus Disease and Testing

Summary

As of March 15, 2017, there have been 34 cases of laboratory confirmed Zika virus disease (ZVD) in the District of Columbia (DC), all of which have been travel-related or sexually transmitted. As of March 8, 2017, states had reported a total of 5,041 ZVD to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of these, 5,109 were travel-associated, 221 were locally acquired mosquito-borne cases (215 in Florida and 6 in Texas), 45 were sexually transmitted, 28 were congenital infections, 1 was laboratory acquired, and 1 was person-to-person through an unknown route. Local transmission has now been documented in Florida and Texas in the United States. To date in DC, ZVD has not been spread by local mosquitoes or via blood transfusion.

In this notice, we are sharing new guidelines for Zika testing that will be approved through the DC Department of Health (DOH). Please share this notice with all appropriate staff at your facility.

The complete health notice can be viewed on our Health Notices website. For the most updated forms and recommendations, please visit our provider website.

Please contact us at doh.epi@dc.gov with any questions regarding Zika Virus Disease and Testing in the District of Columbia.

(I hadn't realized that he was still alive...)

Dr Heimlich, Whose Maneuver Saved Thousands, Dies at 96

Henry Heimlich, MD, a thoracic surgeon who invented an anti-choking maneuver that saved an untold number of lives, died today at age 96 of complications from a heart attack earlier in the week.

The maneuver that bears his name made Dr Heimlich a celebrity. However, he left his mark with other innovations, such as the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve, credited with saving thousands of US soldiers shot in the chest. He also developed the Micro-Trach, which delivers oxygen into the lungs through a narrow breathing tube inserted into the trachea.

Some of his medical ideas later in life, however, earned him not-so-positive press.

( Read more... )

Surprising Lessons Learned by a Physician-Turned-Patient

(from Medscape; website registration required if not previously done but it's free and easy)

Hm, yet another thing that works in vitro, but not in vivo. Too bad...

You need to stop trying to treat your UTI with cranberry juice, from ScienceAlert

(it's been now found that cranberry juice, even fully concentrated, or in capsules, is ineffective for UTI)

15 supplement ingredients to always avoid, from Consumer Reports

Supplements can make you sick, also from Consumer Reports

Here's one of the "3rd leading cause of death" articles: Study suggests medical errors are now the third leading cause of death

Commentary and analysis:

Are medical errors really the third most common cause of death in the US?

Get Thee to a Hospital; Don’t worry: Medical error is not actually the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

Is medical error really the third leading cause of death in the US?

Фонд "Здоровье": сокращение мест в больницах привело к росту смертности

Foundation "Health": cutting the number of beds in the hospitals has resulted in the increase in mortality

[what situational irony in this photo...]

В 2015 году в российских больницах умерло на 24 тысячи человек больше, чем годом ранее. Специалисты фонда независимого мониторинга "Здоровье" напрямую связали рост смертности с сокращением числа больничных коек. Люди попадают в больницы слишком поздно, сообщает РБК со ссылкой на доклад фонда. В министерстве здравоохранения России эту версию опровергают.

( Read more... )

In 2015, the number of people who died in the hospitals in Russia was greater than that of the previous year by 24,000. The specialists of the "Health" foundation of independent monitoring said that the increase in mortality is directly related to cutting the number of the hospital beds. People get to the hospital far too late, RBK reports, referencing the foundation's report. The Russian Ministry of Health refute this interpretation of statistics.
( Read more... )

BREAKING NEWS: The FDA has granted accelerated approval to eteplirsen for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy! Decades of MDA research and investment have paid off with the first disease-modifying drug available to treat DMD.
We are filled with hope.
bit.ly/eteplirseninfo

(from the Muscular Dystrophy Association)
~~
Sarepta is seeking accelerated approval for eteplirsen for patients with DMD who have a confirmed mutation of the dystrophin gene
amenable to exon 51 skipping (≈13% of patients with DMD).

In such patients, skipping of exon 51 might restore the reading frame of dystrophin, increase the production of dystrophin, and lead to
a clinical benefit for patients.

(from the FDA proposal, which you may see here)

The nation's capital's first dedicated heart and vascular hospital has opened on the campus of MedStar Washington Hospital Center. The Nancy and Harold Zirkin Heart & Vascular Hospital is a 164-bed state-of-the-art facility, which will be the cornerstone of the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute and will advance cardiovascular care for patients throughout the Washington and mid-Atlantic regions.

( Read more... )

~~

How NOT to perform sterile procedures

(can you spot at least 10 breaches in sterile technique?)

U.S. sees first case of bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotic

(E.coli resistant to colistin...well, it was only a matter of time before that happened)

*Sigh*

Edit:

See this article for further info (thanks to

supergee)

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My Virtual Reading Room

Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης

Entries tagged with medicine

Quote of the day

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Exciting news from the world of medicine

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18 Science Facts We Didn't Know at The Start of 2017

Medical and nursing news/analysis/reflections

Amazing how technology has advanced

Quote of the day

For World Health Day, April 7th

"Depression: let’s talk" says WHO, as depression tops list of causes of ill health

"Life on Ward 8A", written and performed by Eva Markvoort

Zika Virus Disease Stats, from the Department of Health

Dr Heimlich, Whose Maneuver Saved Thousands, Dies at 96

Surprising Lessons Learned by a Physician-Turned-Patient

Health-related links

Medical errors--are they really "the 3rd leading cause of death in the US"?

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Фонд "Здоровье": сокращение мест в больницах привело к росту смертности

Yes Yes Yes

Two healthcare videos

U.S. sees first case of bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotic