Category Archives: medicine

preserve our placebinēs!

Posted on Monday, 2002 November 04 by Anton

Joshua Burton (if memory serves) asks: By the way, has anyone seriously looked into how the thoughtless overuse of placebos in double-blind research studies dilutes their genuine value in therapeutic contexts? And shouldn’t the plural of placebo be placebimus?

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race and medicine

Posted on Saturday, 2002 October 05 by Anton

In an advertisement for a new drug, I was mildly surprised to hear something to the effect that “Black people are more likely to have an adverse reaction.” Is this new? I’ve long noticed that PSAs about hypertension tend to … Continue reading →

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two more dimensions

Posted on Thursday, 2002 September 12 by Anton

Assuming full eye transplant (or artificial replacement) becomes possible: What happens when a colorblind man receives a normal eye? Has science-fiction addressed this question?

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a little Latin and less Greek

Posted on Saturday, 2002 September 07 by Anton

Today I started a course in medical terminology (aiming to make myself more marketable). I have to restrain myself from speaking up too often, as I know more Greek and Latin (and which is which) than the teacher does. Evidently … Continue reading →

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muppet mystery

Posted on Sunday, 2002 July 14 by Anton

HIV comes to Sesame Street, and Tim Blair wonders how: How will the character’s contraction of the disease be explained? Sharing a needle with Oscar in his squalid street dwelling? Sex can be ruled out — Muppets don’t have genitals. … Continue reading →

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recycle life: eat meat

Posted on Friday, 2002 July 12 by Anton

The recent report that a high-carbohydrate diet is Bad for us naked apes, it suddenly occurs to me, takes some oomph out of the altruistic argument for vegetarianism.

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human mosaic

Posted on Wednesday, 2002 May 08 by Anton

At age 18 or so I wrote a scene (opening an otherwise unconceived story) set in the distant future, in which one of the characters was a tiger-striped human. Now . . . Look halfway down this page: Human genetics: Dual identities … Continue reading →

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