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Daily Archive: 11/01/2015

Sunday

11

January 2015

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COMMENTS

Burn Unit by Barbara Ravage

Written by , Posted in Reviews

Five Stars

burn unit

My first five-star book of 2015! I was a little worried about picking up a long, dense, science non-fiction book after so much young adult reading the past week or so. But this book was fantastic. I found it at Powell’s in the health and medical section and I’m just so glad I did.

Ms. Ravage does a really excellent job of describing what really goes on when someone is burned. I imagine that when most of us think about a burn injury, we picture a sunburn, or a blister on an arm that bumped up against the oven when pulling out a tray of cookies. Some of us might think about tragic events like the Rhode Island nightclub fire, or perhaps people who have jumped from burning buildings. But how many of us really know what goes on when someone is seriously burned? It’s likely that if you or a close loved one hasn’t experienced it, you don’t know much about it.

This book focuses on the burn unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, which is unique in some ways. For example, they don’t use water tanks for debridement (the cleaning and scraping of wounds), whereas most other units across the country do. But the unit is an amazing, close-knit community of nurses, burn techs, doctors, psychiatrists and others offering support for those who are burned and their family members.

I knew a little bit about burns – that they can leave scars, that large wounds need to be cleaned and that it is excruciating. But I didn’t really know about the physiology of burns. Like the fact that the first week isn’t actually the worst; many can survive the first days but then die from the injuries. The impact on the respiratory system is can be huge if smoke or other chemicals are inhaled; the burns themselves trigger all sorts of haywire reactions, like the rushing of fluid to the site (causing major swelling), and metabolism that can start eating through lean muscle. The book also described what shock actually is which, frankly, I didn’t really understand until now.

Through all of this, Ms. Ravage is telling two stories: one of Dan O’Shea (not his name) and one of Mike Parent. Dan was burned while passed out after a night of drinking and was kept sedated for a couple of months; Mike was injured when a pot caught fire, creating burns on his arms. Their stories are interesting and provide a way to apply the knowledge Ms. Ravage is imparting to real people.

If you have any interest in medicine, or in quality science writing, I just cannot recommend this book enough.

Sunday

11

January 2015

0

COMMENTS

What I’m Reading – January 11, 2015

Written by , Posted in What I'm Reading

Bigotry

– “Isabella Sankey, the policy director at human rights body Liberty, said: ‘Turning our teachers and childminders into an army of involuntary spies will not stop the terrorist threat. Far from bringing those at the margins back into mainstream society, it will sow seeds of mistrust, division and alienation from an early age.'” Anti-terror plan to spy on toddlers ‘is heavy-handed’ (h/t @saladinahmed)

Rape Culture

– “What’s truly baffling here is why the show’s producers didn’t edit this stuff out, trim it down, or make some kind of statement about it beforehand. Sure, Cosby wasn’t a big topic a year ago, but he’s easily one of the most loathed celebrities in America right now.” Keshia Knight Pulliam Fired From Celebrity Apprentice for Not Talking to Bill Cosby (h/t @BlackInformant)

– “It reveals that Harding and others were often confused by what the procedures of the hearing were, that Winston and the woman told incredibly different versions of the events that night, and, looking at the whole of what was presented over those two days, it’s unclear how Harding came to his final decision.” Jameis Winston Conduct Hearing Transcript Reveals Mass Confusion and Bizarre Decision-Making (via @scATX)

Racism

– ‘”In [the grand juror]’s view, the current information available about the grand jurors’ views is not entirely accurate — especially the implication that all grand jurors believed that there was no support for any charges,’ the lawsuit says.” Grand Juror Sues McCulloch, Says He Mischaracterized The Wilson Case (h/t @sarahkendzior)

Capitalism

– “Can you imagine the outrage if hotels blocked cell phones, forcing guests to use their profit-hogging landline phones? Of course, the American Hotel and Lodging association is saying this isn’t about gouging customers, it’s about protecting their networks.” Hotel chains are asking the FCC for permission to block personal WiFi devices on their properties (h/t @teigland_cindy)

– “The CBPP’s Ed Bolen said he expects the requirement to accelerate a decline in enrollment that has been driven so far by people getting jobs and earning too much money to qualify for assistance. People who are unable to find jobs will be out of luck, since few states offer training or workfare programs that meet the requirements.” Food Stamp Enrollment Expected To Drop By 1 Million Next Year (h/t @Velma1984)

Misogyny

– “But in a classic example of the difference between surface “equality” and genuine equity, many public restrooms continue to be facilities that are equal in physical space, while favoring men’s bodies, experiences, and needs.” The Everyday Sexism of Women Waiting in Public Toilet Lines (h/t @msfoundation)

Family

– “You’re probably hearing a lot about how no love can compare to the love a mother has for her child. Parents might be telling you that you’ll never ever EVER understand what real love feels like unless you become a parent yourself. Well, now that I’ve crossed over from “nonparent” to “parent,” and with apologies to my fellow parents, I want to deliver this important message: You pretty much get it.” Loco Parentis: You Pretty Much Get It