You are working as a locum doctor in the Northern Territory. Your patient is a 32 year-old Indonesian man who says he was stung while hauling in a net on an offshore fishing vessel.
Jack Barnes and the Irukandji Enigma
March 29, 2009 By 3 Comments
In 1964, Jack Handyside Barnes, his nine year-old son, and a local surf lifesaver were rushed to Cairns Base Hospital after developing Irukandji syndrome.
Stung Inside A Stinger Net
March 27, 2009 By 1 Comment
The Mark of the Beast
March 25, 2009 By 8 Comments
He stood in the hallway having stolen away from his cubicle. The doctor leaving the resus bay recognised him as the man from cubicle 23 awaiting a psychiatric review. The doctor altered course so that their paths would intersect. The man’s eyes were a cold blue deeply set above a bedraggled beard. Scarred knuckles at [...]
Strychnine poisoning
March 24, 2009 By 2 Comments
Ever tried smoking?
March 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Perhaps hospitals were a little hasty in becoming “smoke-free” zones – next time I lead a code I might see if anyone volunteers to be the pipe operator for a good old-fashioned tobacco smoke enema… From Eisenberg, MS. Life in the balance: emergency medicine and the quest to reverse sudden death. 1997; Oxford University Press. [...]
If the lights go out…
March 23, 2009 By 7 Comments
… You could try this technique ( but hopefully you won’t need to anytime soon): If the light on the laryngoscope fails, clean the contact between the blade and the handle, and check that the bulb is screwed in place securely. If this fails, use your spare laryngoscope, which you should have instantly available. Or, [...]
Suboxone poisoning
March 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The phone rings as you sit down for lunch. You are asked for advice concerning a drowsy 2 year-old boy who was brought in to a Children’s Emergency Department by his worried parents.
You don't know about the stones?
March 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I really like the tropical tales (“parasites and people”) of the late Dr Robert S. Desowitz, who was Professor of Tropical Medicine at the University of Hawaii and worked with the World Health Organization. His writing often emphasized the role of human factors in the health problems of the world. Human behavior always contributes to [...]
Management of Snakebite
March 20, 2009 By 2 Comments
