Ten years ago, an emergency defense against airborne viruses (and much else) starred in the Improbable Research session at the Annual Meeting of the AAAS (Association for the Advancement of Science), held that year (2011) in Washington, DC. Johnathan Gitlin wrote about it—and took part in the event—for Ars Technica: At this point, forgetting the […]
Tag: emergency
Historic video of the Emergency Bra, at the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony
This video shows the awarding of the 2009 Ig Nobel Prize for medicine to Elena N. Bodnar, Raphael C. Lee, and Sandra Marijan of Chicago, Illinois, USA, for inventing a brassiere that, in an emergency, can be quickly converted into a pair of protective face masks, one for the brassiere wearer and one to be given to some […]
Snake bite suction devices – a (pessimistic) review
What should one do if bitten, say, by a pit-viper? Perhaps make use of a proprietary snakebite venom suction device? Maybe not such a good idea, according to recent research from Professor Sean P. Bush, MD, FACEP, (pictured right, holding a sea-snake) of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Medical […]
When you need to breathe, not just any pen will do
Ball point pens are not all equivalent, suggests this emergency-medical study: “Airflow efficacy of ballpoint pen tubes: a consideration for use in bystander cricothyrotomy,” David Owens, Ben Greenwood, Alistair Galley, Alun Tomkinson, Sarah Woolley, Emergency Medicine Journal, 2010;27:317-320. (Thanks to investigator @MsCelsius for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, at Princess of Wales Hospital, […]
Someone at Alternet is confused about a bra
Someone at Alternet is confused about a brassiere and a prize. Really, at least two people there are confused: the person who wrote the report headlined “Nobel Prize Winning, Gas-Mask-Convertible Bra Provides Defense Against Chemical Warfare“, and the editor or editors who handled the article during its gestation and journey on to the Internet. [NOTE, […]
An alarming cherry — further food-derived medical terms
We have looked at the strawberry as a food-derived medical term. Today: the cherry. First, savor this article with an alarming title: Diaz K, Malave A. “Cherry Red Emergency”: Acute Epiglottitis Requiring Surgical Airway, Chest, 2012; 142 (4_MeetingAbstracts), 12A-12A. Here is more information elaborating on the cherry red epiglottis (a flap of tissue at the tongue’s back […]
Life-saving brassieres: Yet another example
The history of life-saving brassieres has yet another chapter, this one a first-person narrative written by Jessica Bruinsmain in The Guardian: Experience: My bra saved my life ‘I crashed against rock, barely stopping myself from rolling straight off the ledge into the valley below’… The previous chapter — a chapter still unfolding — concerns Dr. […]
Dr. Bodnar’s new bra. It includes a radiation sensor.
Dr. Elena Bodnar, inventor of the brassiere that in an emergency can be converted in to a pair of protective face masks (for which she was awarded the 2009 Ig Nobel Prize in public health) has enhanced her invention. This week Dr. Bodnar introduced the Rad Emergency Bra, which incorporates a radiation sensor: BONUS: Video […]
Terry Jones takes on technology
Terry Jones, of Monty Python and other fame, interviewed by The Observer on the subject of technology. (The unrelated photo below shows Mr. Jones assisting Dr. Elena Bodnar, inventor of the brassiere that in an emergency can be quickly converted into a pair of protective face masks. That demonstration happened on the 2010 Ig Nobel […]
The “This bra could save your life” contest
Inspired by Dr. Elena Bodnar’s bra, New Scientist magazine is sponsoring a contest: This bra could save your life, and your creativity could win you one. Devised by Ukrainian-born scientist Elena Bodnar, it separates to form two face masks – so that in the event of a nuclear accident, bioterrorist attack or smoky fire, the […]