In Memoriam

Today we recall the deaths of Richard, Janice, and Terry. They were the crew on a helicopter similar to this one (N217MM, shown above, was our main aircraft) which crashed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the morning of December 1, 1994.

I was scheduled to fly the next day on the helicopter that crashed. A day does not go by without me thinking about what happened to my friends that day, and how thankful I am to be alive and still able to care for my wife and children and my patients.

Please remember them in your prayers today. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

I have written about more about this incident HERE, HERE, HERE, and probably best of all, THERE.

Feast of St. Andrew, November 30 - and Some Book Reviews

Here is the novena which starts on the Feast of St. Andrew:

St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer to Obtain Favors

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

Imprimatur
+MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York
New York, February 6, 1897

Here are a few reviews of a couple of books which I published on LibraryThing:

North and South
Elizabeth Gaskell

“Elizabeth Bennett meets the industrial revolution - count the bodies as they fall!”

It has been nearly 40 years since Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice, and the social landscape of England in is transition in Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel North and South. The aristocrat who lives a life of leisure while his tenants work his landholdings in southern England is being replaced by the common man who works his way up to a position of wealth and power in the factory towns of northern England. How these two social classes interact makes up just one facet of the book.

The main characters of the book are the members of the Hale family, with the daughter Margaret being the most important character of all. The Hales move from a country vicarage in southern England to Milton, a fictitious city in the industrial region of North England. Mr. John Thornton, the young owner of one of the cotton mills, befriends the family. He is attracted to Margaret, the only daughter of the Hale’s, but she considers him socially beneath her. Their relationship progresses along with the story of the Hales adjusting to life in a northern town.

One of the main themes of the book is conflict. There are external conflicts, such as the one between the workers and the factory owners, and the southern aristocrats and the industrial businessmen. Mrs. Gaskell does a good job of showing both sides in a sympathetic light without setting one up as a ‘bad guy’ in the story. For example, the union workers had their wages reduced several years before this story takes place, and the workers are clamoring for more money as the cost of living goes up. The mill owners are not able to increase wages because of the price of cotton and other forces which are affecting the marketplace. Both sides have a legitimate argument for getting what they want, and neither are motivated by greed or any other vice.

There is much more to this book than my brief review. I will end with the comment that John Thornton is an excellent study in the practice of the cardinal virtues. This was one aspect of his character which was not carried over to the 2004 BBC version of this book. I strongly recommend this book, and give it 5 stars.

As to my “count the bodies as they fall!” comment above, let me just say that while there is very little violence in the story, many of the characters don’t survive to the last page.

By the way, I did not even know about this book until one day I saw a video of the trailer for the BBC movie. It was on YouTube, and Daniela Denby-Ashe caught my attention. I then went on to look up the book on Wikipedia. It sounded interesting, so I got a free copy of it for my iPhone off of the Gutenberg Project. As I started to read the e-book, I decided to go ahead and buy the hardcover version. Ah, the joys of high tech and copyright-free books!

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

I just finished reading this book. It was hard to put it down. The book is told in the first person by the youngest child of a lawyer in a small town in Alabama during the Depression. Several themes are explored: racism, standing up for the truth, living in a small town in the South, coming of age(well, sort of....) all come to mind.

I recommend this book, but I am not sure if I would really want to read it again. I found part of the thrill of reading the book was the suspense of wondering what would happen next. The scene in the courtroom was particularly engrossing.

One note about the language in this book. The 'N' word is used constantly, making me think that this book would not have been accepted for publication in this our day of political correctness. The language and the testimony given during the trial give this book a rating of 'Adult' for this book.

A Graveside Visit

'Divine Mercy' as drawn by Theodore G. Donahue

Yesterday, on what would have been Theodore's 18th birthday, we visited his grave. It was cold and windy, so we did not stay there long, but we did say a few prayers and spent some time there in silence.

Someone had already put some plastic flowers at the site.

As is usual, the other children asked me when we were going to get a marker for Theodore's grave. I couldn't answer them, because I don't even know when I shall get it done. I still don't know what I could write on a gravestone which would summarize the life of one so dear to me. How could one or two lines describe someone whose absence has left such a hole in our hearts and in our lives?

Nearly 16 years ago, on December 1, 1994, three of my friends and colleagues were killed in a helicopter crash in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At that time, I had compared the deaths of my friends with that of a large stone dropped into a pond. Initially, the passing of the stone leaves a void - but almost immediately the water rushes back in, covering up the defect. Ripples spread out from the point of impact, leaving the surface of the pond more or less unsettled, depending on how close one was to the epicenter. In the aftermath of this crash, new pilots, doctors and nurses joined the group and took up the work. We kept on flying. For me, the stone in the pond seemed to be a pretty neat metaphor for death and survival.

I was wrong.

For those closest to the deceased, that hole, that void, never fills up again. After nearly three years since Theodore's death, his absence is like a pain in my side which will never go away. Every head count I make - and it is very important to count heads when you have such a large family - comes up one person, one name, short of what my obsessive/compulsive brain is expecting. Every time I recognize this discrepancy, I have to remind myself that the count is off by one because one of my children is dead. In some circles, this process is known as 'reconciliation,' where the reason for the incorrect count is resolved. In my case, it is hard to reconcile myself to this fact.

Try putting that on a gravestone.

While thinking about this and freezing in the wind , a car pulled up behind ours, and a man got out. He had flowers - we forgot to bring some - which he carried to a nearby grave. He also stood there for a while, with his back turned away from us to keep the wind out of his face. As I watched him, I considered how blessed I was to be here with my loving wife, my eight living sons and four daughters, and how I should rejoice to be so blessed by God. Carolyn had the same thoughts as she gazed upon the solitary man, with one additional thought: one day it would be just one of us coming here to see Theodore's grave.

Sorry, Mr. President, We Really Don’t Need 8 Million More College Graduates - CNBC

Sorry, Mr. President, We Really Don’t Need 8 Million More College Graduates - CNBC

A Visit From My Guardian Angel

"How do you like my boots?"

My guardian angel stood back so I could take a good look at his brand-new boots. From what I could tell, it looked like ostrich to me. I had often heard that once you wear boots made from ostrich hide, you'll never want to go back to cowhide. I started to ask my guardian angel just that question when he interrupted me.

"I have never worn boots before, son, so I can't make any comparison between types of leather. And, no ostriches were killed to make these boots. Don't trouble yourself."

"I am not here to show off boots, son. I came to show you something. Follow me."

Before I could blink, we were standing on a bridge near my home. It was located on a quiet country road, so it was unlikely that anyone would pass by and see a man in his mid-forties wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and Croc's talking to an angel.

"Look at the water."

I gazed over the side of the bridge. It hadn't rained for a few weeks, so the water was scarce. Just a few trickles connected together to indicate that there was any flow.

Suddenly, a shiny object went by, followed by what looked like a gold pocket watch. A few rings with huge diamonds trailed behind. One of them got caught up on a rock and glinted in the sunlight for a moment before moving along.

"What are they? Where are they going?"

"I'll answer the second question first. Since we are on the East side of the Continental Divide, they will eventually drain into the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Gulf of Mexico."

"But what are they?"

"Those are the good deeds you did today."

"But why are they rolling down the river? A lot of good they are doing me in the river."

"Right you are. These are the good deeds you did today, but they were tainted by your attitude, grumbling, feeling sorry for yourself. If only you had given of yourself with heartfelt generosity instead of with an attitude of self-martyrdom."

I felt bad, but my angel seemed unconcerned.

"Hey, how about a game of Pooh Sticks?"

The Van

Big Blue, or 'Sixty-One Papa.'

The only vehicle of ours without 'Victor' in its license plate.

From Pain Comes Life

An article about one of my older brothers:

Arlington Catholic Herald - From pain comes life - catholicherald.com

Her Name is Philomena

I have a devotion to St. Philomena, mainly because St. Jean Vianney had a devotion to her as well.

As one could infer from my previous post, things did not appear to be going well with this pregnancy. Carolyn usually starts getting nauseated right away, and she did experience a little of that. Then one day last week all the nausea stopped.

We had already started a novena to St. Therese of Liseux for our unborn child to at least live long enough to receive the waters of baptism. That novena ended last Thursday. We celebrated the end of the novena by attending Mass at Mater Dei Catholic Church in Irving, and then I suggested that we celebrate the answer to our prayer by taking the family out to dinner.

Before leaving the church, Carolyn and I prayed the Te Deum, rejoicing and thanking God for an answer to our prayers - even though we both suspected the answer was not the one we wanted.

St. Therese has always managed to have our prayers answered quickly, almost immediately after the end of our novenas in the past. In every case we know that whatever God wills for us is for our ultimate good and the benefit of our eternal souls - but it still hurts, especially knowing that so many children are aborted in this world, and we would love to have more.

As in the past, we have named our lost children, and remember them in our daily prayers. We have named this child Philomena Rose Lourdes. Along with Anastasia and Therese, we hope to see Philomena some day in Heaven.

Perhaps they are resting in the arms of their big brother.

Our New Health Care System, Simplified

I can tell you that we are in deeeeeep trouble. As a veteran of the Air Force, I have seen the best the government can do for health care. I have also seen bad health care - courtesy of our government.

Please note that this form does not include any of the exceptions which the government has already allowed.

You are HERE.

Celebrating the End of a Novena

"But if I finish all of my chores and you finish thine
Then tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699"

- from the song, 'Amish Paradise,' by Weird Al Yankovic

Tonight we finish a Novena to St. Theresa of the Child Jesus which was offered for, among other things, the health of our unborn child. We have some concerns that things are not going well with this pregnancy, and so we have been storming Heaven with prayers.

Now, at the end of this Novena, we rejoice, thanking God for answering our prayers. We do not know what that answer is, but we still praise Him for hearing us, knowing that His divine will is Love and Mercy itself.

We must stay the course.

Look Who Is Expecting!

When you wish for a Mustang,
donate baby clothes,
plan a cruise to Alaska,
what do you suppose?

God gives you a sign,
for you and your wife
at the end of a chapter
(you thought) of your life



Where once you expected
a minus, a dot
you see a small 'plus' sign,
'Not Pregnant' less 'Not'

Instead of the end
to a chapter of life
God adds to the blessings
for you and your wife.

SMD
10.3.2010


It sounds like bad poetry because it IS bad poetry. But is is also true. God has blessed us again; this is the 16th pregnancy for Carolyn. We are still amazed that God has smiled on us and granted us this blessing. We thank God for this child - whether he or she lives for a few weeks in utero, fifteen years, or long enough to bury us - we cannot stop thanking God for this tremendous blessing!

Please pray for Carolyn and our unborn child.


ADDENDUM: Sadly, Carolyn suffered a miscarriage shortly after I posted this entry. I have another note regarding this at THIS site.

From the Internet...

The Chupacabra Sighting

We had a chupacabra sighting at our house yesterday morning. We think it was a young one, probably sick, because it just lay around in our front garden area.

We got some pictures of it, and then went to the ultimate source of news - YouTube - to see if our discovery looked anything like the common chupacabra. Here is a picture of it:


Note how the eyes glow. Freaky.

I went out to check on it several times, and called the county animal control officer to see if someone could come and pick it up. I have written previously about our experiences with the Ellis County Animal Control Officer; read about it HERE. I told the Sheriff that I thought it was a mangy dog - what did I know? At some point it disappeared, because when we went to Costco in the early afternoon, it was gone.

I kept the little children inside; I figure small children might be substituted for goats in a pinch. We had a shotgun handy just in case....

On Sunday morning - early - the animal control officer showed up, and he told me to call again if it shows up again.

Here is a closeup of the creature; note how similar it is to the one in the video which follows:

The eyes still disturb me. Anyways, here is a video which shows a similar critter caught by some farmer in Texas:



Here is the link for all the facebookers.

Tag....I'm IT!

I haven't played tag in years. When I was a little boy, I recall being the last one to catch - and so the game ended. I wasn't worth pursuing, I guess.

And I have avoided being tagged on these blog memes for years because so few people read this blog, and I have been too busy to come up with anything really funny/witty/intellectually stimulating recently. This is the busy season for pediatric anesthesiologists, with elective cases and trauma taking up a lot of my time. Then there are family obligations....

...and sleep. Glorious sleep!

Regardless, I had to respond to this meme, and subject five unsuspecting bloggers to the continuation of this version of the chain letter.

Mike in CT tagged me for the "Five Favorite Devotions" meme.


My five favorite devotions (in no particular order):
1. Holy Mass
2. The Rosary
3. Morning and Night Prayers with my whole family - when I am there.
4. Night Prayers and the Office of Readings
5. Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Let us see if these folks can keep this ball rolling:

Raulito at Disciple of the Dumb Ox.....go for a higher caliber than the AR-15, IMHO.
Dr. Matthew Doyle at Lacrimarum Valle.
Bridget at Our Magnum Opus
David at man with black hat
'Juniper' at defending my bean field

And now to step back and see the fur fly....

Relevant Quotes for Today

LibraryThing likes to tell me things on the sideboard of my Home Page I have with them. Today, July 25, they told me that it is the anniversary of the death of Thomas á Kempis. He died today in 1471.

It is nice to be reminded of this, as I am in the process of doing St. Louis de Monfort's 33-day preparation for consecration to Jesus through Mary. St. Louis quotes a lot from Thomas a Kempis' excellent book Imitation of Christ. Here is the excerpt for the 11th day:

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 25
On the Fervent Amendment of our Whole Life

When a certain anxious person, who often times wavered between hope and fear, once overcome with sadness, threw himself upon the ground in prayer, before one of the altars in the Church and thinking these things in his mind, said "Oh, if I only knew how to persevere," that very instant he heard within him, this heavenly answer: "And if thou didst know this, what would thou do? Do now what you would do, and thou shall be perfectly secure."

And immediately being consoled, and comforted, he committed himself to the Divine Will, and his anxious thoughts ceased. He no longer wished for curious things; searching to find out what would happen to him, but studied rather to learn what was the acceptable and perfect will of God for the beginning and the perfection of every good work.

A great quote, which gives a solution to St. Augustine's problem with conversion - he knew what he had to do, but he just couldn't do it.

The next quote is not from someone known for his holiness, but it bears repeating:

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

Groucho Marx

Homestyle Surgery - WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

Occasionally we have an injury around the house which can't wait until we can get to the big city and get it fixed by one of them there city specialist type doctors. In this case, I have to rely on my dusty old skills which were honed last century while caring for patients in the wilds of Detroit and other areas west of there.

Take this monkey, for instance. He sustained a separation of his posterior cervical midline suture line, resulting in a moderate dehiscence of his underlying integumentary tissue. In short, he burst a seam on the back of his neck and some of the stuffing came out. On a Friday night, this couldn't wait until the city slickers were back in their offices Monday morning.

Despite the seriousness of his injury, his spirits appear good; but to my trained eye the anxiety is all too apparent.


A cursory examination reveals a loss of integrity of his hide. This must be fixed right away!



After a thorough history, I examine the patient, listening to his heart and lungs. I realize he has cataracts, but I can't do anything about them today.


The airway of the monkey is thoroughly assessed, insuring that the monkey can breath while lying on his tummy:


After seeing to the patient, I quickly assemble the items needed for surgery. Most are in my black bag which was my constant companion as I trod the pavement of Northeast Detroit. Well, actually, it was another bag, but it held the same kind of stuff....



Hey! I find all those stethoscopes which I thought I had lost at the hospital years ago. They look like a mess of rattlesnakes all curled together for the wintertime:


I find the 'single drug' anesthetic which I love so much: the hammer. It comes in two doses - large or small - depending on which side of the hammer you strike on the patients head.



After administering the anesthetic, I roll the monkey prone - on his tummy - for the surgery:

Surgical instruments give me good exposure of the interior of the monkey. The wound is explored, verifying that deeper structures have not been injured or contaminated with dirt or small toy parts.


Another view, with a hemostat used to remove a small toy from inside the monkey:


Thick, strong thread is used to bring the edges of the wound together, and within minutes of completion of the operation, the monkey is awake and ready to go back to whatever he was doing before we noticed the stuffing coming out of his neck.

It is work such as this which makes me glad I became a doctor!

What I Learned On Vacation

This, by the way, is Post #801 on this blog.

During my week on vacation, a few lessons were hammered into my head. Read and learn from my experience:

1. Spilling Chardonnay on an Apple iMac notebook will kill the laptop computer - especially if the brand of chardonnay is named 'Die Apfeldammerung.'

2. Children who are taught to play 'Blackjack' will substitute matchbox cars for the pennies you used when you taught them.

3. Fireworks called 'Explodo' will do just that.

4. A shotgun called 'Persuader,' and is commonly referred to as a 'streetsweeper' is not effective for shooting skeet.

5. My children take after their mother - they are fearless of heights and other dangerous things in a two story house.

6. A 17-month old toddler can make beautiful music while crawling on the piano keys.

7. By the grace of God, Carolyn and I celebrated 21 years of married life last week. I am still amazed - and thankful - that she married me in the first place, and thank her for that fact every day.

8. God brought rain to north Texas last week to keep me from doing outside work.

9. I make an awesome slide show if I do say so myself.

10. I discovered a new and totally morally acceptable form of ART (assisted reproductive technology) which I plan on implementing soon, very soon. Bear with me.

Consider that, using the motto of the Benedictine Order (Ora et Labora - Prayer and Work for those of you who slept through Latin class), one can not just pray for something when there is a need to be met. In the process of begging God for another child, there are some things which can be done to increase the chances of having more. There are some good examples of this which we have seen even among our friends and relations. One example is buying a subcompact car immediately after getting married; this usually results in the mother having twins, or at least a lot of children in rapid succession. Another is signing a mortgage for a house of ANY size; scientific studies have shown that this increases the fertility of the woman by a factor of one thousand. I am sorry but I cannot remember the reference for this last statement, but I know it is true so you can believe it.

All of these therapies work with the younger couples, but the older couples are not without some means of increasing fertility without resorting to methods best described as 'animal husbandry.' For the middle-aged parents, there is one thing which is sure to work:

A sports car.

A sports car for Daddy.

Ford Mustang

V-8 Engine.

Overdrive.

Manual transmission

Stereo speakers everywhere.

Room for my wife and I in front, and two car seats for the twins in back.

I know this will be a sacrifice, but I am willing to make it for the family. As always, I am only thinking about what is best for the family.

Our 21st Anniversary Video

Two Hearts, One Life....

July 1 is our 21st Anniversary.

God has blessed us more than we can even imagine.

We thank God for all that He has given us over the past 21 years of married life.

Below is a video capturing some of the times of our life:

Book Reviews and Bad Poetry Collide

I found a way to combine my love for literature with my penchant for really bad poetry, in particular that poetry form which was perfected by Basho.

I speak of the beloved Haiku.

Inspired by Basho as well as Amanda McKittrick Ros, and wanting to give some review of the books I read, and not having a lot of time, I present you with the first installment of something I shall call Haiku Review.

Today's blog entry will consist of reviews of:

1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

2. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

3. Anesthesia For Patients Too Sick For Anesthesia(Anesthesiology Clinics), edited by Benjamin Kohl, M.D.

Here is the review of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice:

Haiku Review:

Rich guy named Darcy

snobbish and shy around girls

gets favorite daughter

SMD

6.30.2010

A brief review of Mr. Philbrick's book:

Haiku review:

Whale kicks human butt

forcing them to row for land

crew provides the meal

SMD

6.29.2010

The medical review:

Haiku Review:

My first guess

of contents would be

cancel, cancel, cancel!

SMD

6.29.2010

These reviews can be seen on LibraryThing.

What Did The Pope Really Say?

A confluence of events prompt this note.

First, I recently was 'friended' on facebook by Fr. John T. Zuhlsdorf, author of the blog site What Does The Prayer Really Say?

Second, I just got around to reading an article from the February 2010 edition of the Linacre Quarterly which discussed some comments Pope Benedict XVI made to the press while traveling to Africa in March, 2009. If you recall, Pope Benedict asserted that behavioral changes, such as abstinence and monogamy, were far superior to other means in reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, etc. The article in question - see the abstract HERE - supports the Pope's argument by referring to a host of peer-reviewed articles which essentially agree with what he said: staying out of the rain keeps you dryer longer than wearing a raincoat while playing in mud puddles in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Take that metaphor and meditate on it.

Third, I glanced at the latest edition of The Wanderer(June 17, 2010) and saw the following title of an article: "Benedict XVI Affirms That The World Needs The Cross."

Fourth, I saw a video on YouTube of a mama deer taking out a dog and a cat which were too close to little Bambi.

I started thinking how the world - and the news media in particular - often misunderstands what the Church in general and the Holy Father in particular are saying. I thought about how the news media and popular opinion ignored what the Holy Father said about HIV/AIDS in Africa, and how he was criticized by the public. I thought a bit more, and naturally I saw some humor in this topic and came up with a new, mainstream media headline to replace the Wanderer's example above. Finally, I thought of a play on the words of Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog to come up with the title of this blog entry.

So here are some of the titles of articles from The Wanderer(June 17, 2010) as interpreted by the mainstream media. The actual titles will follow in parentheses:






Pope Wants Us To Suffer
He's Only Happy When We're Unhappy

(Benedict XVI Affirms That The World Needs The Cross)




Pope Finally Visits Cyprus
2,000 Years Too Late For Some

(Translation of general audience given June 9 where Pope Benedict XVI reflected on his trip to Cyprus)





Pope Wants Bridge to Cyprus
Going East and West

(Pope Benedict XVI Calls Church in Cyprus A "Bridge Between East and West")






That does it for last week's edition of The Wanderer. Perhaps if I get ambitious I shall look for real examples of bad media coverage of the Holy Father and the Vatican.

By the way the Fourth Fact is not really relevant to this discussion, but is brought up to remind all people that deer are not gentle critters when they feel threatened.

Actions Have Consequences

I have had several online conversations with some young people about certain things posted on websites such as facebook. These conversations typically start with me reading something objectionable, such as foul language. Rather than ignoring the words, I have written to the person requesting that they desist from posting such offensive material.

The typical response from youth is to 'mind my own business' and 'I'm an adult now,' etc. I have commented in my replies that one day they may regret what they have done because it will come back to haunt them. Anything put on the Internet is available for retrieval.

That brings me to this little video, but I think the end result will be beneficial to this singer rather than detrimental. Back in 1978, a Mr. Hill(the English translation of his name) sang this song on Russian TV. Apparently this song means something to someone, and this style of singing is actually a real singing style. I don't know. All I know is that this music is different, unique. Now, 32 years after the fact, the video of Mr. Hill singing has come back to even greater popularity on YouTube, with an international audience now able to appreciate his particular talent. I predict that he will see a resurgence in his career.

Consider that even this music is more pleasing to God than vulgar and offensive language ever would be.

I Repeat A Joke I Heard

I live in Dallas, Texas, and recently asked my friends' little girl what she wants to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?'

She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.' Her parents beamed with pride.

'Wow...what a worthy goal,' I told her, 'But you don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.'

She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?'

I said, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.' Her parents still aren't speaking to me.


True. True.

Book Review: ATLS Advanced Trauma Life Support for Doctors

ATLS, Advanced Trauma Life Support for Doctors is an excellent resource for physicians who treat trauma patients. The book is written very well, with a list of objectives for each chapter listed at the front. The chapters are also arranged in the same order as the recommended management of the trauma patient; for example, the first chapter deals with the initial trauma patient assessment and management (the ABC'S of trauma). Subsequent chapters address airway/ventilatory management, shock, and then trauma management of various organ systems or regions of the body. As always there are excellent chapters addressing pediatric and geriatric trauma, burns, and trauma in the pregnant woman.

The book also includes several appendices dealing with such sundry items as injury prevention, the biomechanics of injury, and trauma scores. There are also sections of the appendix which deal with disaster management, emergency preparedness and trauma care in austere environments. I do not recall these articles being present in the ATLS course I took during my fellowship back in 1995. This reflects the changes which have happened over the past fifteen years in the world - 9/11, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the continued threat of terrorist attacks which is a new experience for this country. I remarked to the instructors that the lessons learned in combat are evident in the course materials.

ATLS started in the 1970's after a surgeon saw how poorly members of his own family were treated at a small hospital after an aircraft accident. Since then, over one million physicians all over the world have taken the course. My reason for taking it in 1995 was to manage trauma patients while moonlighting as a flight physician - the doctor in the back o f the helicopter. Oftentimes we would fly to the scene of an accident and have to deal with whatever we found on the ground. Having ATLS gave me a systematic way to evaluate and treat a patient in some of the worse conditions I have ever been. Those days are over for me; now I stay at the hospital and deal with the occasional trauma patient. But it is still beneficial for an anesthesiologist to be on the same page as his surgical and emergency room colleagues when it comes to dealing with trauma. I strongly recommend this course to all of my colleagues.

The book includes a DVD which demonstrates some of the techniques for minor surgical procedures and airway management. One of the videos show the WRONG way to evaluate and treat the trauma patient. My wife and I found this very amusing. The course itself did not have the dog lab I recall taking; a trauma simulator has been developed which has replaced vivisection.

Bad Poetry About Someone's Birthday

Taken Seriously

Watching you from the back of the chapel
kneeling at the communion rail
I consider what a gift you are to me
straight from the hand of God

Recalling the teenage girl I used to tease
until one day you grew tired of my sport
and asked when I would ever take you
Seriously

the time my brother and I serenaded you
with ‘Sweet Caroline’ as we rowed across the lake
and the fear in my heart when you almost
fell off the roof of that parking garage

a kiss under the mistletoe, then
while dancing at someone else’s wedding
the whispered reminder that you love me
no matter where I roamed

the microscopic diamond, the even smaller
efficiency we lived in
with hard work, separation, books
and a promise as our first roommates

rejoicing with the birth of thirteen children
and mourning the other two who never made it
and the one who died suddenly
in my arms

wishing I were as generous as you
have been in our life
knowing that I could never give enough
in return to show my love for you

with broken cookie bouquets and
edible arrangements which made better compost
roses from Costco bought on impulse
to make up for years without flowers

Thanking God and you for remaining
through joys and sorrows of our life together
I think you knew what you were asking for
when you asked me to take you Seriously.


SMD
5.25.2010

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During this lull in blogging, we present another of our favorite restaurants: Chuy's!

Enjoy the reference to the Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon: Light passing through a tortilla chip shaped like a prism, breaks the light into its components.

It is also believed to be a reference to the change from Black and White to Color in the movie The Wizard of Oz. There are many alleged connections between this album and that movie.