Daily Questions
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I will post a higher-order question that emphasizes a humanistic approach to understanding gross anatomy in an applied clinical setting.
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I will post the correct answer. The answer to each question is based on a specific lecture that I link to in each regional series of the body.
Risky Business
Dr. Bob, a radiologists, is approaching retirement and he too often preaches to his young residents how good the old times were. He expounds on the superior merits of an upper GI series over current CT imaging for revealing an enlarged heart chamber. To demonstrate, Dr. Bob pulls out a two liter bottle of barium and proceeds to drink it. Next, he puts Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock n Roll on his CD player and begins to mimic Tom Cruises dance in Risky Business. …
Born to be Wild
Ted finishes his first year gross anatomy exam just in time to head to New Orleans for Spring break. It has been his dream to mimic the famous scene in Easy Rider, except that Ted does not own a motorcycle. Nevertheless, he does plan to drive his 30 year old Mustang from D.C. to New Orleans. He powers up, cranks up Steppenwolf in Spotify, but One hundred miles into the 1000 mile trip the air conditioning gives out. Ted takes his shirt off and lowers the windows as he continues his adventure. He drives straight for approximately 10 hours during the middle part of the day, with a blistering sun and a temperature of close to 90 degrees. Upon reaching his hotel, it is freezing inside and he dons his jacket, rushes six flights of stairs (due to broken elevator) to shower and hit the town that night. . …
The Rock Heard Around the World
While everyone remembers that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, not everyone recalls what happened right after the manual insult. Yes, Chris clearly was surprised, and was wincing from the whack, but Will too suffered an injury. Upon returning to his seat he realized that he was unable to open his whacking hand. Indeed, he tried to wave to the crowd and it was clear that his hand was impaired. When he tried to grab his drink, he was unable to spread his fingers; his fingers were motionless. Chris, on the other hand, continued to speak and tell jokes. (Remember the one about a Rock and a hard place?) Also, Chris was also able to salute Will by giving him a finger salute, yet Will was unable to respond. …
The Software Scuffle
Herman and Jacoby are two software developers who despise each other. They have been competing to outmaneuver their opponents since high school days, when they tied at the national high school quiz bowl competition for second place. The first-place winner entered divinity school and is now a sought-after priest. Herman and Jacoby hear of the cage fight planned between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg and they too begin training. They each hire CEO whisperers who subsequently hire shamans, power assistants, physical trainers and, of course, fight instructors …
Superman
Ed believed that his dad Clark was superman because he could do most everything. In reality, Clark Kent, and the stress is getting to him. Indeed, he has developed an eating disorder, and he is now becoming more of a Supperman. He decides to take a vacation and go horseback riding in Cape Town. . …
Ripcoin
Two Math wizards at MIT take a course on crypto currency and form a study group. During their numerous hours in the library discussing monetary theory, they begin to fall in love. On weekends, they visit Cambridge pubs to participate in quiz night, specifically when the subject matter is topology. They become so intimate with each other, that they share their prescriptions; one is taking Adderall, the other is ingesting Wellbutrin, and after a week of co-imbibing they both suffer seizures (a side effect of mixing the medications) while erasing a chalk board. …
Dali?
Eleanor is a 27 yo rising artist in her community. As a young college student her talent as a painter was easily recognized and indeed, she paid for her college with earnings from her oil paintings. Most of the projects ran to the abstract. Lately, her work has become quite “bizarre” according to her family; instead of sharp lines/boundaries, her oeuvre is currently described as smears. …
The Eagle Has Landed
John is a senior in high school who just earned his last badge to become an Eagle Scout. As a reward, the other scouts invite him to a jamboree where they plan to stay out in the woods for a week. On the first night, John learns that another scout brought a bottle of rum and says to himself, “what the heck”, I think I will have a few drinks around the fire. Unbeknownst to them, the cheerleader team had also planned to camp out nearby that evening , and the lead Eagle prompts the others to visit the cheering squad. What could possibly go wrong between such wonderful sets of kids? …
Barbie and Ken
Ken is a senior in high school who some would argue has everything. His parents are loaded and gave him a Porsche 911S on his 16th birthday. He is a gifted athlete and has lettered in non-contact sports, golf, tennis, track and even pitches for his school team. Unfortunately, he is also known as having a certain “bouquet” about him – you can smell him coming a mile away. Ken falls madly in love with the head cheerleader, appropriately named Barbie, and ultimately asks her out on a date. He proposes seeing a remake of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, where “Meat Loaf sings Bat Out of Hell”, but Barbie insists on going to a Taylor Swift concert…
Sometimes a Headache is Really a Headache!!
35 yo female CEO of a fortune 500 company is known as a hard charging, can-do individual, capable of bringing significant revenue to her shareholders. She graduated summa at an IVY league school, then attended MIT for her business degree and developed AI technology before it came into vogue. She is married to a neurosurgeon, chief resident and has two children, ages 7 and 5. The couple is invited to a Caribbean Island owned by a friend and they gladly accept, wishing to create their third love child. …