At some point during my undergraduate career a friend of mine, I think it was Fuzzy Mike, presented me with the Rejected Cartoons by Don Hertzfeldt. Aside from making oversized spoons a hilarious non sequitur, it also led me to the rest of these cartoons and an Animation Show in downtown Durham, NC.

Fast forward a few years. Seven years. Um. Ignoring how many years it has been, we arrive at the present. It seems almost no one in the world of medicine is familiar with these cartoons. I spread word of their existence back in my first years of medical school to mixed reviews, sowing the seeds of nerd-couture is nothing new to me, and now I feel that time has come again. I need to do share the joy once again for all the people I've met since. So, a compiled set of links for all the Don Hertzfeldt 'toons YouTube has to offer (that I know about).

Oh, and for the record they're really, really weird. Honestly, did you expect anything less?

The rest of the videos in the full post. Et voila you consumer whores. (And How!)

The two below I hadn't seen before. They're not my favorite to be honest, but I include them for the sake of completion.

This isn't the first time I've wondered, but why do people come to the ED so often?

Healthy 18 yo comes in with a cold she's had for 3 days. Healthy 10 yo has a cold since this morning, mother brings him in. Healthy 17 yr old comes in because she gets a brief chest pain while sprinting for the bus that goes away when she stops running.

I think a large part of the problem is the "I want it now" mode of thinking that we Americans have fallen into. Yes, I could make an appointment to see my primary care doc in a week or two, but I want information now. Not treatment, just to talk to a doctor immediately and on my schedule.

I'm not sure everyone's aware, but in 2003 the avg ED visit was $560. That's a lot of money, and I can assure you that number's only gone up. The average stay in the ER's 3.7 hours. Another factor that I don't think people take into consideration. (Especially those of you without a serious problem who want to be seen quickly. Sorry bud, your sore shoulder? Not gonna see it 'til that guy with the stroke's got his plan set and he's going somewhere. That's... another story though.)

So, 4 hrs and half a thou. The thing is, most people don't know those numbers. The copay (if they pay one at all) is significantly lower. Many obviously believe this should be a quick stop. Meanwhile, the ones who really do need to be seen get stuck behind everyone else because the hospitals are getting overloaded. This is problematic.

My suggestion? Bill for the total amount so they at least KNOW how much they're actually paying. If nothing else, it would be informative. I mean, I'm in healthcare and I still have no idea how much some of this shit costs. Just found out a pathology report was 300 some dollars if not more.

As for changing people's "now" mentality, I recommend viewings of both Chocolate Factory movies until they can sing along with the Oompa-Loompas (from Loompaland). If they can do the dance, they get a bonus.

Wow.

After being introduced to it by a friend, I did some looking into the matter. Medical blogging is big! I mean, not Super Mario Bros big. But quite a bit more than I expected.

I'd never even thought of it before. I've seen some crazy patients, experienced some of the weird and uncomfortable happenstances of the hospital. But so have all my coworkers, classmates, and hospital acquaintances of the last four to five years. I suppose I just took it for granted.

J (friend): Have you seen Doctor Grumpy's blog?
DD: *reading* Ah! This guy's entertaining. But I've seen things like this myself, even in my very short, very brief stint as a physician and medstudent.
J: These are the stories I've been asking for!
DD: Huh? Really? But... I work in the ED. We have a huge percentage of... less than intelligent... patients.
J: Then why don't you tell me these stories!
DD: ... I... don't know?

Anyways. It seems an interesting idea, if I could just sit and work through the execution. And distance my name from the writings, I assume.

~DD

I guess commercials DO work, as I've been convinced that women should fight over men with light sabers. It would make everything so much more often!

~DD

Truly this is a glorious Watchmen related gem. Not only does it combine Scooby, Ninja Turtles, Jem, et al it also has perfect Watchmen references turned zany.