The most amazing coincidence happened to us the other day. Our mechanical pencil ran out of lead. Fortunately, our interns are always grateful for a chance to emerge from the basement and […]
How many times have you seen it? You are watching a dramatic scene that takes place in a hospital’s operating room or emergency room. The slow, steady beep of the EKG abruptly […]
”If looks could kill…” No, we’re not talking about the imperious glare for which Queen Elizabeth I was feared. The killing looks in this case refer to the appearance of Her Majesty. […]
“If you swallow your gum, it will stay in your stomach for ten years.” This was the sage warning given by our 7th-grade science teacher, and we took it to heart. Of […]
In an earlier article, we discussed the reason for the lengthy warnings that always show up at the end of pharmaceutical commercials. That did not answer the question, however, about why some […]
Nineteenth-century life had more than its share of challenges for women. Disenfranchisement, substandard medical care, and the need to wear corsets are just a few of the downsides they had to face. […]
Each year 1-3 million people die from malaria. Another 1 million annually succumb to AIDS. You don’t need to be a physician to realize both of these diseases are pretty bad. Anyone […]
A sure sign of getting older is when you struggle to make sense of the younger generation’s lingo. For those of Generation X or older, declaring that something is “sick” means that […]
Harnessing the power of the atom provides humanity with virtually unlimited power. It also poses devastating consequences if things go poorly. The nuclear disasters at Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island happened […]
It seemed that Christian Ludolf was destined for musical greatness. His father was a choreographer, and Christian was dancing as soon as he was able to walk. When he was ten years […]
Hey, you. Yeah… We’re talking to you. Come here for a minute. Lean in. Listen carefully. Can you keep a secret? So can we. That’s why we have never disclosed any information […]
Those who lived long ago, in a difficult-to-fathom age known by paleontologists as “the 20th century,” liked to imagine what life would be like in our era. They would likely be disappointed […]
“It isn’t brain surgery.” We use the phrase to describe simple tasks that anyone should be able to do. The unstated assumption behind this is that brain surgery is far from simple […]
Have you ever used the excuse of staying home, saying, “I feel nauseous”? You probably meant that you weren’t feeling well, and that is the way most people interpreted your words. It’s […]
If you have suffered through a long car ride in which the driver refuses to stop for a bathroom break, you may have felt as if your eyeballs were floating. Possibly you […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 