Ultrasound Probe Grip: The Afternoon Tea Technique

British tea traditions continue to affect the way medicine is taught and practiced. A new study pours out details. “Ultrasound Probe Grip: The Afternoon Tea Technique,” Luke McMenamin, Stephen Wolstenhulme, Max Hunt, Stuart Nuttall, and Asoka Weerasinghe, Journal of the Intensive Care Society, vol. 18, no. 3, 2017, pp. 258-260. The authors, at medical institutions […]

Wedgie-associated nerve damage in a 50-year old man [medical report]

Wedgies have been the staple of school-yard bullies and pranksters for years. While reportedly possible to die of asphyxiation from application of an atomic wedgie, there has not been a medical report about the possible dangers of the act. Getting a firm grip on the problem, this case report pulls up the underpinnings of damage caused […]

Forensic Comparison: Sex With Animals vs Human-Butt-Fisting

The traditional method of literary analysis known as “Compare and Contrast” gets a workout in this newly published medical study: “Similar mechanisms of traumatic rectal injuries in patients who had anal sex with animals to those who were butt-fisted by human sexual partner,” Damian Jacob Sendler, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, vol. 51, 2017, […]

It’s just an incidentaloma

What’s an incidentaloma? “Incidentaloma” is a medical term. These two papers are among the many that try to explain: “Benign anatomical mistakes: Incidentaloma,” Mirilas, Petros; Skandalakis, J E., The American Surgeon, 68.11 (Nov 2002): 1026-8. “Screening using whole-body magnetic resonance imaging scanning: who wants an incidentaloma?” Rustam Al-Shahi Salman,William N Whiteley, Charles Warlow, J Med Screen, 2007;14:2–4 (Thanks […]

Coffee and Cancer: A Bad News Burp for Modern Science Journalism

A newly published study is bad news for news organizations — it’s a burp in the stream of guaranteed-attention-getting medical reports that suggest coffee-drinking might cause cancer. The study is: “Coffee and Cancer Risk: A Summary Overview,” Gianfranco Alicandro [pictured here], Alessandra Tavani, and Carlo La Vecchia, European Journal of Cancer Prevention, epub March 2017. The authors, at the University of […]