Wasn't expecting this...

So now I'm a 3rd-week medical student! We've finished our dissection off the lower extremity (which was a heck of a lot more complicated than I originally exected!) and have moved on to the thorax. On thursday we opened the chest cavity and on friday we dissected out the lungs! Very very exciting!

Except for two things. To get to the thoracic cavity you need to remove the ribs. I anticipated using special medical tools for the dissetion.... thinking that speical instruments were going to be provided to saw through the ribs and sternum. Nope! Each group was handed a hand-saw from the 1950s for the big bones and a wire-cutter for the smaller sections of the ribs.

Then, to our surprise, 2/3rds of the left lung of our human cadaver was missing, and in its place was a goo-of-sorts. To the best of our ability, me and the other first-years in my group couldn't find a reasonable explanation for the missing lung, because there was no scare tissue that would indicate it was intentionally cut out. Our cadaver died of bladder cancer (age 88). Our professor says that its common for invasive cancers to spread, and in this case to the lungs. At which point, the lung may have destroyed itself in the process of trying to destroy the invading cancerous bladder tissue, leaving behind the goop that we found!

I thought that was interesting, and had never heard of anything like it. The goo was pretty gross looking, and we had to scoop it out with our hands and put it in plastic cups for testing. Yuck!

Reminiscent

The O's won another ball game last night defeating the Twins 6-3 behind a stellar pitching peformance from Adam Loewen (8 IP, 4H, 1 R, 0 BB). In the 7 games since being swept in Boston, the O's have gone 5-2. In those 7 games, 6 of them have seen solid starting pitching performances. Erik Bedard stumbled last Sunday (5 IP, 7 R) against the Blue Jays to end a season high 4 game winning streak for the O's. That stumble makes Loewen's effort last night look even better. The team ace gets beat up to end a winning streak and the next guy goes out and pitches a gem to (hopefully) get another winning streak started.

In the last 7 days, O's pitching has a 2.67 ERA and a record of 5-1.

The O's are definitely having a power surge, belting 5 HR's off of Carlos Silva last night to bring this recent 7 games total to 15. Brian Roberts and Corey Patterson went deep to complement the 3 HR's hit by Nick Markakis. Markakis is the 1st Oriole to hit 3 HR's in one game since Albert Belle did it in 1999.

Markakis is hitting .344 in August with 12 extra base hits (7 HR, 5 2B) out of 22 safeties. In the 6 games that Markakis has hit 2nd in the order, he is 10 for 23 with 6 HR, 10 RBI and 11 Runs Scored. That qualifies as 'starting to show some power'.

Solid pitching and home runs. Earl Weaver would be proud.

preserve a cadaver

I'm just entering my 2nd week of medical school... and as most 1st year medical students are doing, I'm spending at least 3 hours a day dissecting a human cadaver.

This anatomy course lasts 11 weeks, and I'll be working on the same cadaver for all 11 weeks! So your thinking (as was I) that there must be some special method for preserving this body day after day after day, otherwise it would rot and smell.

Possibly it has already been preserved by a specialist who pumped the body full of chemicals?
Nope

Then every night it is submerged in a preserving liquid?
Nope.

So it must be that every night the body is cooled, like in a special freezer or something?
Haha, no.

This is how its done:
Every day, when I'm finished with the dissection for the day, I cover my cadaver with paper towels. I then douse the paper towels with formadehyde, and then lay a small tarp over the top.

Not a very effective method, huh? I can't wait to smell the cadaver lab in late october! After one week its pretty bad in there!

But it's pretty neat that I've held the 4 quadricep muscles in my hand as well as the sciatic nerve (which is as big around as my index finger)... and many other things. So far I've dissected most of the lower limb. On wednesday we start the thorax!

Big Game for O's?

Baseball teams with a 54-68 record do not play big games.
But since I have the misfortune of holding the Baltimore Orioles in favor and I pine for something to care about, I have elevated todays game with the Toronto Blue Jays to Big Game status.

This requires a modicum of imagination.

Baltimore took 2 in a row from the Yankees in the Bronx and came home and whipped the Blue Jays 7-2 behind a solid starting pitching performance from Kris Benson (7IP, 6H, 2ER). This makes 3 wins in a row (tying the season high for the O's) and 4 straight solid starting pitching performances (which I believe is a season high).

The O's send Daniel Cabrera to the mound today against the Blue Jays Sean Marcum. If Cabrera can produce a solid performance today, it would represent the first time in I don't know how long the Orioles have taken a complete turn through the starting rotation with a good performance from each pitcher. It certainly hasn't happened this season or last.

Cabrera is 2-1 in 3 starts vs. the Blue Jays this season pitching 18 innings in the 3 contests while allowing 13 hits, 5 runs and 9 walks. Cabrera and Marcum faced each other on August 8th with Cabrera getting the win and Marcum getting a No Decision. I do not give the Orioles the pitching edge in any game Cabrera starts, but if I were forced to do so, I would give it for this game.

The Orioles are undefeated (3-0) with Nick Markakis batting 2nd in the order. Markakis is 6-12 with 2HR, 5 RBI and 6 Runs Scored in the 3 games since being moved to the 2 hole.

The O's may be experiencing a power surge. 6 home runs in the last 4 games and none of them by Tejada. Melvin Mora went deep in yesterday's victory over the Blue Jays.

So, on to victory this afternoon against the Blue Jays and season highs all around! I can hear the Orioles faithful chanting - You can't take us with Markakis!.... (batting 2nd)

Be Ye Inspired

Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Ths was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face...

Ezekiel 1:28

Is There Anything They Can't Do?

Bravo!

Shocking News: Gettysburg Times reporting that Niece/Nephew Team ace pitcher might not be available on Labor Day

I do not have a link, but Adams County's morning daily local is reporting that Jamie Pitzer, an 18-year-old phenom right-hander, who pitches regularly for the Nieces/Nephews team in the summer Mentzer Family wiffleball tournament, may not be available this Labor Day...

More news, sure to come...

the Tour de Testosterone

I have naturally high levels of testosterone.

Did he cheat?

Numbers

Why was six afraid of seven?

Because...

seven eight nine!!!

Lightning Strikes.... Again

Have you seen this?