A logical mind dealing with an illogical world
I have repeatedly said that to understand the numbers in discussing the Wuhan virus, you have to understand the context. What this means is that just giving out total numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and even deaths must be clearly understood in their proper context to be meaningful. I have long felt that that the numbers …
Continue reading “The CDC and the 6% “solution”- is it time to start celebrating?”
Daniel Mintz, Chair of the Department of Information Technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus posted on Facebook a very interesting thought experiment. Mintz openly acknowledged that he suffers from TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). He describes the lead up to a Trump victory in November based on his speculation that Trump decides to control …
Continue reading “A Thought Experiment- musing on the November elections”
When I was a boy, I lived in a wonderful neighborhood filled with kids my age. One of these was Skipper Jaffe, who lived two doors down. When I was around 7, Skipper came down with measles. When the news got out in the neighborhood that the Jaffe house had measles, all the other moms …
In the ongoing, seemingly never-ending crisis due to the Wuhan virus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes the illness Covid-19, the new battleground has become the issue of opening up the schools in the fall. Social media is rife with heated arguments for and against returning children to school, from elementary to college. In the elementary area, this …
“I am a surgeon. It is what I do.” It is early Sunday morning, traditionally a day of rest for everyone. I am up and about, soon to head to the hospital to amputate a gangrenous finger on the hand of an unfortunate individual with end-stage kidney failure due to diabetes that is poorly controlled. …
Medical practice is not simply caring for simple, common problems. There has been a strong and largely successful push by advanced practice nurse practitioners (NPs) and physicians assistant (PAs) to practice autonomously as primary care providers. The Florida legislature recently granted advance practice nurse practitioners license to practice independently https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2020-03-11/florida-oks-independent-practice-for-nurse-practitioners. That term, “provider”, has replaced …
“Absent an effective treatment or vaccine, and knowing that we cannot stay locked down indefinitely, our only hope for dealing with this virus is to turn to the most effective anti-virus agent known to man: a healthy immune system.” I have no illusions about the Wuhan Virus, aka SARS-CoV-2. It is a dangerous beast to …
A transplant patient enters the hospital for a problem unrelated to the Wuhan virus. While there, he develops a complication and is wisked to the transplant unit. Because of Covid-19, his wife and family are not permitted to visit him even though none of them is ill. All encounters are electronic. They never see, touch, …
Continue reading “The unreported heartbreak of the Wuhan virus*”
At my office and going around town, I see a lot of people wearing masks. A lot of confusion exists about whether and how to wear a mask. As someone who has worn surgical masks for over 40 years, I guess I have some authority to comment on this “new normal” (I hate that term!). …
Coming soon to a medical office near you……. Dr. Mayo: “Mr. Smith, I am afraid I have some bad news.” Smith: “Oh, no, doc. Is it about my blood tests?” Dr. Mayo: “’Fraid so. Your blood test shows you have colon cancer.” Smith (with trembling lips): “Doc, are you sure?” Dr. Mayo: “Well, there is …
