The Fresh Air Fund is still looking for runners to join our Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon this coming March 20th. Wish I could participate, recovering from plantar fasciitis, it's a bitch. Nevertheless 21 km is still a long distance. Don't know if I'd manage at my age again.... We are calling all runners and Fresh Air Fund supporters to come out and either challenge themselves to run the race or join our cheering squad. The Fresh Air Fund provides runners with guaranteed entry in exchange for fundraising before race day. Entries are limited - please get in .....read more »

The use of wax for the reproduction of organs or parts of the human body started of at the end of the 17th century. A Sicilian wax artist, Gaetano Giulio Zumbo, and a French surgeon Guillaume Desnoues worked together in making the first realistic anatomical models from colored wax. Gaetano Giulio Zumbo produced four highly realistic compositions known as ‘Theatres of Death’, still on display at La Specola Museum, Florence, and wax anatomical models. The most important characteristic of wax for artistic purposes is its capacity to afford a remarkable mimetic likeness far surpassing that given by any other material. It .....read more »

New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly shares a portfolio of her wise and funny cartoons about modern life -- and talks about how humor can empower women to change the rules. Related posts: Humor and Health What Humor Style Do You Have? ECT: The Story of Two Women ..read more »

Good explanation of spaghettification in an entertaining talk based on the question of a kid: What will happen when you fall into a black hole? Don't forget to watch the video below, what you can do with a black hole Related posts: The Large Hadron Collider and the Black Hole Don’t Forget Me The Patient’s Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression ..read more »

Today we will bring Leo Voogt to his last resting place. He died just one day before his eightieths birthday last Saturday. Shared a pleasant last Christmas with him. He enjoyed having his family around him. He enjoyed it all immensely like always. Will remember him as cheerful, honest, practical, enjoying life and a true friend and father in law. May he rest in peace. Related posts: Good characters make good motivated medical students? Chronotherapeutics what is it good for Diagnosing Depression in Primary Care Good Or Bad? ..read more »

Neil Pasricha started a blog during one of the darkest periods of his life until now. Not that blogging saved his life but watch the video what made him blog and keep going. Great talk. Neil Pasricha's blog 1000 Awesome Things savors life's simple pleasures, from free refills to clean sheets. In this heartfelt talk from TEDxToronto, he reveals the 3 secrets (all starting with A) to leading a life that's truly awesome. Related posts: Praxis Blog Carnival no. 6 Sharing the Love for the Universe Interview with Gina Trapani on Tim Ferriss Blog ..read more »

Raw Oysters, especially 'wild', are excellent sources of several minerals, including iron, zinc and selenium, which are often low in the modern diet. They are also an excellent source of Vitamin B12. Oysters are considered the healthiest when eaten raw on the half shell. A search on PubMed also reveals that eating these creatures can be of some risk for infections mostly gastroenteritis. May be drinking wine with them prevents some infections. With current practices the outbreak of severe forms of gastroenteritis such as caused by salmonella are history. These practices are coliform monitoring (monitoring for the presence of pathogen coliform bacteria), .....read more »

Hanna Rosin reviews startling new data that shows women actually surpassing men in several important measures, such as college graduation rates. Do these trends, both US-centric and global, signal the "end of men"? Probably not -- but they point toward an important societal shift worth deep discussion. Read the comments.......indeed all by men Same tune but different perspective: Tony Porter makes a call to men everywhere: Don't "act like a man." Telling powerful stories from his own life, he shows how this mentality, drummed into so many men and boys, can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and .....read more »

Impressive story After Claire Roberston lost 30 years of memories to a devastating brain infection, a new device called a Sensecam helps her keep new memories Related posts: Complaints of loss of personal memories after ECT: evidence of a somatoform disorder? Photos that changed the world Forgetting May Be Part of the Process of Remembering – New York Times ..read more »

A while ago in a blogpost about a virtual reality program to reduce anxiety for first time patients going to be admitted to a psychiatric ward I used a recent picture of the Oregon State Hospital. More exactly of the J Building, built in 1883. The largest, oldest, and most famous structure within this institution. The building served as the location for virtually all interior movie scenes of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” The Oregon State Government wanted to demolish the J Building in 1988 due to life-threatening health and safety dangers posed to patients and .....read more »