Thursday, November 09, 2006

What I Learned: Part 3

Here is the third and final post about my recent conference. Consider this proof that I really didn't spend the week hanging out by the pool. Here goes:
  • Zacarias Moussaoui was really nuts. He was also really a member of Al-Qaeda.
  • Forty people have requested physician-assisted suicide in Oregon where it's legal. (After our discussion with The Ethicist I call physician-assisted suicide the Probate Attorney Employment Act. I wonder how you defend a will for someone who's been euthansized.)
  • Psychotic death row inmates in South Carolina are more likely to select electrocution over lethal injection.
  • Serum cortisol levels correlate with performance on simulated emergencies faced by police officers. Police performance varies inversely with the officers' own opinions about their performance.
  • Suicide screening instruments do not predict suicide deaths in corrections (yeah, we pretty much all new that).
  • In 1970, 90% of all FDA Phase I trials were conducted on prisoners.
  • For the CSI fans among our readers, there was a terrific panel presentation on the forensic investigation of motor vehicle accidents. This is what I took away from it:
Always wear your seatbelts, but wear them properly. Put the lap belt over your hips and the shoulder harness over your shoulder not under your arm. Improperly placed seatbelts can cause significant injury.

Here is a partial list of injuries found at autopsy during motor vehicle death investigations:
1. transverse skull fractures and a ring fracture of the foramen magnum.
2. petecchial hemorrages in the eyes and the skin of the upper thorax from traumatic asphyxiation
3. aortic transection, liver laceration and rib fractures from thorax trauma
4. fractures of the wrists and forearms (from gripping the steering wheel)
5. fractures of the ankles (from stomping on brakes)
6. "dicing" or cube-shaped lacerations of the lateral arms due to side window glass (indicates body position at time of impact)

Forensic biomedical engineers have a fascinating job. One admitted: "Crash testing is really fun."

The bottom line on the crash investigation panel: Presentations featuring autopsy photos should never be scheduled immediately before lunch.

4 comments:

Dinah said...

I love you but I'm posting over you.

ClinkShrink said...

That's OK; abf loves me too. Where is abf, anyway? Ever notice how abf and Roy are never seen together? What do you think that means?

Sarebear said...

EEEk on that Phase I trials thing. They're people, people!

Way to go over her head, dinah!

Secret identities!

So police who really think they're hot stuff on the job, aren't all that? If their belief in their performance has an inverse relationship to their actual performance . . .

So you don't want a cocky cop? Cock a doodle doo!!

Whats thed #1 injury on the list from, not having an airbag and bashing into the dash or steering wheel? Or from launching out the window w/no belt on?

The only "autopsy" I've ever done is on a baby pig/fetal pig, whatever you call it. The biology teacher kept asking us if we wanted ham sandwiches for lunch . . . . Actually, after seeing and poking around in the brain, I was more nauseated by the thought of tapioca/rice pudding.

When we did earthworms, he'd bring the jars out with em all stretched out and shake it and ask if we wanted spaghetti.

Juvenile, no?

Oh yeah, I frogot the frog.

The starfish and cricket were wierd, and I don't think the earthworm counts.

If it wasn't for all the biological grossities (yes, I make up words), I would've become a marine biologist to work with dolphins because I'm so passionate about them. Just the FEELING I have when I'm near them is something I can't describe.

But I can't take blood n'gust, or formaldehyde and guts. Yuck on that formaldehyde smell.

Sorry for going on and on, lol! It WAS kind of cool seeing a brain tho, even if in miniature. Poor little oinker.

Anonymous said...

EEK, As someone with lots of experience with motor vehicle accidents and death I wonder how it is possible that people still refuse to wear their seat belts. I once heard a comment that "So that is what airbags are for" Unfortunately without a seatbelt the death from airbags is sometimes messier and worse.
I don't know Roy but is he cute??? maybe I have seen. What hanid didn't tell you is that I can be dangerous too. I still love both of you (dinah and clink since I don't know Roy) abf