Blue, green, yellow—a few of the hues we see,The sky, the grass, the sun—the things they ought to be.Blue, green, yellow—a few of the hues we see.Bruises, fungus, jaundice—the things that they can be. Red, pink, white—a few of the hues we see. sunsets, flowers, clouds—the things they ought to be. Red, pink, white—a few of the hues we see. Infections, zoster, tinea—the things that they can be. The ways these hues unfold Tell stories bright and bold. What appears as beauty, clear and bright, May hint at illness out of sight. Author Bio: Aaron Davidson is a medical student at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine with … Continue reading
Category Archives: Elpern, David J.
And this too shall pass
In these dark days, I keep remembering Thomas Hardy’s poem, IN TIME OF ‘THE BREAKING OF NATIONS’ I Only a man harrowing clods In a slow silent walkWith an old horse that stumbles and nods Half asleep as they stalk. II Only thin smoke without flame From the heaps of couch-grass;Yet this will go onward the same Though Dynasties pass. III Yonder a maid and her wight Come whispering by:War’s annals … Continue reading
CONSIDER THE HOMELESS
Jean Rice, 1939 – 2025 by Trip GabrielNYT, March 28, 2025 This is the NY Times article. We don’t think the Times would object to publishing it here. If they do, we’ll delete it from OJCPCHC. Jean Rice, who for decades scratched out a living, nickel by nickel, picking up deposit cans in New York while becoming a well-respected advocate for the homeless, died on March 12 in Queens. He was 85. The cause of his death, in a hospital, was heart disease, said Lillie Mae John, his cousin. Since 2020, after surviving Covid, Mr. Rice had lived in a veterans’ residence on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Mr. … Continue reading
Advancing Skin Cancer Awareness: Implementation of the Block the Blaze Program in Galveston Schools
Katherine Benandi 1 , BBA, Madelyn Schmidt 1 , BS, Frank Winsett 2 , MD This preprint version of the manuscript is posted prior to peer review or formal publication in a scholarly journal. Abstract: The Block the Blaze program, a skin cancer awareness initiative created by the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, was implemented across seven schools in Galveston, Texas, delivering 27 interactive presentations and reaching 1,864 students over two years. By fostering awareness and promoting proactive sun-safe behaviors, the program aims to instill lifelong habits, reduce skin cancer prevalence, and empower individuals to prioritize early detection and prevention. Key Words: Skin cancer prevention, health education programs, early detection, sun-safe … Continue reading
In the House of Psychiatry, a Jarring Tale of Violence
Forcible restraints are routine events in American hospitals. One study, using 2017 data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, estimated the number of restraints per year in the U.S. at more than 44,000. The rate varied greatly from one country to the next. See: Epidemiology and Psychiatric Services G. Newton Howes. The use of mechanical restraint in Pacific Rim countries: an international epidemiological study. Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020International rates of mechanical restraint in 2017 varied from 0.03 (New Zealand) to 98.8 (Japan) restraint events per million population per day, a variation greater than 3000-fold. Restraint in Australia (0.17 events per million) and the … Continue reading
Protected: Shameless Super KOLs
Rearranged
Rearranged An Opera Singer’s Facial Cancer and Life Transposed By Kathleen Watt,Heliotrope Books, New York 2023 by David J. Elpern, M.D. Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear; Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air. T. Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard Would this not be the fate of Kathleen Watt’s riveting and important pathography. The topic is her decade-long odyssey of treatment for, and recovery from, osteogenic sarcoma of the jaw. As a physician, I have found that textbooks are of limited value. They are essential, but take one just … Continue reading
Miss Gee by W.H. Auden
I came across these lines in Kathleen Watt’s engrossing 2023 memoir, Rearranged “Doctor Thomas sat over his dinner, Though his wife was waiting to ring, Rolling his bread into pellets; Said, “Cancer’s a funny thing. “Nobody knows what the cause is, Though some pretend they do; It’s like some hidden assassin Waiting to strike at you. “Childless women get it. And men when they retire; It’s as if there had to be some outlet For their foiled creative fire.” His wife she rang for the servant, Said, “Don’t be so morbid, dear”; They are from the poem, Miss. Gee. The link has a fine audio-recording.Note: W.H. Auden’s father was a … Continue reading
The Skin I’m In
Dr. James Foong from Ipoh, Malaysia alerted us to this well-done video addressing how some patients view their psoriasis. Digging deeper, the consultant dermatologist listed in the credits, Dr. Sandy McBride, has lots of conflict of interests. This is taken from a recent article of McBride’s. Still, this is a fine video that will help some patients. It was ssupported by a grant from AbbVie (the company that makes Humira). Putting all if this into perspective, the video is still very worth watching,
Close Encounters Of The HS Kind
By Krista Elizabeth Hammaker* Encounter #1: An emaciated 30-year-old Black man, Cracks “Is this assisted living, or jail?” Post wide gluteal excision, anemic. A nursing home crisis, a pandemic. Diagnosis: Hidradenitis suppurativa. En route to doctor, he asks for sativa. Pain found in hell’s conditions and terms. He said, “At least I’m finally headed to Derm.” His facility – the biggest dump in town. Government funded. No justice around. He’s all clean and ready for big medicine’s foolishness. No option for comfort but right lateral decubitus. Reason for visit: Humira and wound inspection Care delivered: None (and little affection) “No Humira insurance, after a 7 month wait?” Care delivered: … Continue reading
