Author's posts
Is there a place for audiovisual recording in medicine?
Some years ago, I came across a very useful little device – a thumb (flash) drive that also had the ability to record sound. It powered up simply by being slotted into a USB port. Inserting the drive did not raise any suspicion that I was recording. So…
My battle with atrial fibrillation
A while ago, I wrote about my experience during an attack of atrial fibrillation (afib), lamenting the fact that my management never included a proper physical exam. Nevertheless, chemical cardioversion was successful, and my hospital stay was brief. T…
A surprising acne rosacea remedy
I have typically managed my mild case of acne rosacea (AR) with affordable over-the-counter (OTC) medications, but there has always been a residual redness that bothered me. Recently, while reading about Demodex, microscopic mites that live on the face…
What happened to the chemical pathologist?
During my early years as a pediatric hospitalist in the U.K. during the ’80s, a figure that loomed large was the chemical pathologist (CP). The CP was the guardian of the laboratory, and every hospital had one. This fearsome beast was approached …
Support your local plasmapheresis center
Every day, thousands of people lie on a couch and have their arm stabbed with a large needle. Blood from the venipuncture snakes down into a container. In some individuals, this continues until the volume is about a pint – 500 mL; for this, they get a …
Embracing the Asclepion: a call for authenticity in medical symbolism
At the heart of the City of London sits an imposing building with massive brass front doors. Emblazoned and embossed on both doors is a symbol – the Caduceus, which in the U.S. is associated with medicine and health care. But why is it on the doo…
The hidden consequences of fraudulent and poor-quality medical research
Recent years have seen an increasing recognition of fraud, deceit, and other maleficence in scientific research, including medical research. The extent of this is truly frightening and has led to increasing international efforts to detect and address i…
Unveiling the true origin of “first, do no harm” in medicine: Discover the father of clinical medicine
A recent essay on this blog, “Navigating the complexity of ‘first do no harm’ in modern medicine,” provided an excellent review of this principle. However, as is so often the case, it misattributed the statement to the Hippocrat…
Uncovering the controversial debate surrounding climate change
In a recent posting, “The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools,” the author concluded that climate change is “here and undeniable” and, based on her experience of wildfires, that the cataclysmic conseq…
Breaking the cycle of childhood obesity
Every specialty has its burden, and pediatric endocrinology’s is obesity. Primary care providers refer because they or the child’s parents suspect the cause is hormonal. It almost never is. The overly adipose child invariably has, using old…
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