We’ve all gotten a bump on the head. Fewer of us have fallen out of a moving minibus and directly onto our heads. Fewer of us still are doctors who have experienced such an event, and the fewest of all are also, in addition to the other three things, very funny writers. Thankfully, that sub-sub-sub-sub category contains Adam Boggon, whose Pangyrus essay about [see above] made my dreary Monday afternoon much more enjoyable.
I lay on my back in the scanner. It is sometimes observed that there are two types of doctors: those who study every disease and conclude that they have it, and those who assume that because they know pathology, they are invulnerable to it. Both positions are insane. I incline toward the latter. This is in part because I’ve admitted patients to hospital for years and know that most hospital doctors are defensive and risk-averse, so request large numbers of tests even when the prior probability of a positive finding is low. As a consequence I have seen hundreds of CT scans ordered after head injuries, and barely a fistful of major bleeds. Admittedly I had never seen a patient ejected sideways out of a retro camper van. I chose not to dwell on that.
More stories about medicine
The Hypercurious Mind
“ADHD isn’t merely a dysfunction. It’s best understood as an impulsive motivational drive for novel information.”
The Year I Was Supposed to Die
“At 42, with young kids, I got a devastating diagnosis. I knew I was in for a harrowing journey. I didn’t know quite what kind.”
No Harm
“Was it possible to have a good death in our current medical system?”
The Coloradans Exercising Their Right To Die—and a Doctor Who Helps Them Find Peace
“More terminally ill Coloradans than ever are turning to Denver Health’s Medical Aid in Dying clinic. We spent the summer witnessing the quiet decisions and final moments of those who chose when—and how—to say goodbye.”
If A.I. Can Diagnose Patients, What Are Doctors For?
“Large language models are transforming medicine—but the technology comes with side effects.”
Blood-Blue Sky
“How horseshoe crabs and ecological grief connect with the wonders of the human heart.”
