Comments on: Getting smarter

By: Evan Allen

Evan Allen — Thu, 12 May 2005 15:32:55 +0000

The patient is a bit old to be having a first episode of familial mediterranean fever, and he also has a normal WBC, something that would be unusual in gout severe enough to be causeing fever and hypoxia.

Lupus Erythematosus seems like a possibility here.

By: V

Tue, 10 May 2005 23:21:54 +0000

I’d go with gout as well.

By: SarahW

SarahW — Tue, 10 May 2005 15:44:31 +0000

Gout?

By: Jaded SarahW

Jaded SarahW — Tue, 10 May 2005 15:33:33 +0000

Well, I’m wild-guessing a blood clot, not because of any specific knowlege or intuition, but because in these kind of stories, it’s always a blood clot.

He’s got (presumably has has) chest pain and troubled breathing. In either case, a person may develop a fever because of inflammation in the blood vessels, and the wrist pain could be a clue to some kind of phlebitis.

Looking forward to being spanked by the REAL diagnosis.

By: Michael Rack, MD

Michael Rack, MD — Tue, 10 May 2005 05:51:33 +0000

I look forward to hearing what was wrong with the patient’s wrist. I can’t figure it out, I think I need to spend more time watching T.V.

By: John Faughnan

John Faughnan — Tue, 10 May 2005 03:07:52 +0000

I do find this profoundly weird. The theme of location in the galaxy affecting global IQ, btw, has appeared at least twice in science fiction — maybe we’ve just moved out of the “dull zone”?

If the phenomena is real, and if IQ measures “intelligence”, I suspect the contributing factor is the complexity of daily living. Mail, fax, cell phone, email, IM, etc, etc. Every aspect of daily life is substantially more complex than it was 40-50 years ago. More devices to master, more things to know, more complexity to manage.

I doubt it’s anything to do with popular culture. I suspect it’s adaptation to an increasingly demanding and complex world.

By: Carol

Carol — Mon, 09 May 2005 22:55:45 +0000

I never read a Holmes book without thinking “Well that’s a hell of a leap of logic!” or “Oh come ON you’re KIDDING me. How the heck did he know THAT??”

So please. The wrist pain lead you down what logical thought path??