Saturday, April 9, 2011

Neuronerds in paradise

This week, folks, is the 2011 American Academy of Neurology meeting, being held in Hawaii. Of course, I'm not there. If I'm going to go on a vacation, it would be to GET AWAY from other neurologists.

But, a friend of mine who's there sent me this picture today. For those of you who didn't believe my post about how fanatical the neurobrotherhood is about reflex hammers, consider this: There are LOTS of totally awesome things to do in Hawaii. And what do neurologists do? We go ogle reflex hammers.

And WTF is a POS Taylor Hammer doing in there?!!! You people should be ashamed of yourselves!

(click to enlarge)


21 comments:

Mingle said...

The Taylor hammer is just there as a test to weed out the posers from the crowd. The sales associates are actually undercover neuronerds, ready to pounce on posers who select the Taylor hammer and reflex-test them to submission with their superior Queen Square hammers

Mr Mobius said...

I wonder if you could create your own type and get it names after you.

Get a long stick, and a rusty nail. Attach the nail to the end of the stick perpendicular to the stick.

Could be used on any patients that annoy you.

The Grumpy hammer, sponsored by Diet Coke (verification word is colas for this post actually...).

Baffled said...

I saw a new neurologist on Friday. When she pulled out a Queen Square Hammer with a telescoping handle, I thought "Now that's a hammer! She must be a serious neurologist." Which was all a direct result of your original post. Things I learn on the internet...

Gen said...

I loved that reflex hammer post! Though, I thought you left out one very important hammer...the Fisher Price Reflex Hammer. It comes standard in all Fisher Price Doctor kits, a toy box staple!

So if you had to choose...the Taylor or the Fisher Price?

Anonymous said...

maybe they're playing "which of these things does not belong?"... :)

Anonymous said...

That's Doug Lanska's Taylor 2.0.

I can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few reflex hammers in my time

http://www.aan.com/storefront/New_Taylor_Hammer_P522C28.cfm

Lars said...

I like to believe they won't just ogle reflex hammers, but organise the ultimate pit fight to settle this problem for once and for all. Choose your reflex hammer carefully, the fight is on. To arms!

#1 - The first rule of Neurologist Fight Club is, you do not talk about Neurologist Fight Club.
#2 - The second rule of Neurologist Fight Club is, you DO NOT talk about Neurologist Fight Club.
#3 - If someone says stop, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over.
#4 - Two guys to a fight.
#5 - One fight at a time.
#6 - No shirts, no shoes. White coat permitted.
#7 - Fights will go on as long as they have to.
#8 - If this is your first night at Neurologist Fight Club, you have to fight.

Carla said...

I recently had an initial consultation with someone who was supposedly one of the top neurosurgeons in the state. A look at the reflex hammers in the exam room made me want to run screaming out the door. Fortunately, my subsequent MRIs showed a distict lack of need for surgery, so I was able to gracefully exit stage left, never to be seen again.

The Mother said...

I love those vendor fairs! Recently they have been offering a chance to win an ipad if you stop by. Cool.

Grumpy, M.D. said...

Carla- Neurosurgeons are NOT neurologists. The hammer was for show.

They don't actually check reflexes. They just copy them from the neurologist's note.

Queen of the Road said...

Next month is our big shrink meeting in Hawaii. I won't be there either, for the same reason. Well, that plus we don't get nifty stuff to play with.

The last one I went to in fact, they had a mirror thing you could stand in front of, and it would gradually show you how you would age over the next 50 years. What that had to do with psychiatry other than to make you suicidal, I don't know. Come to think of it, that booth was empty.

a.generic doc said...

I would have thought you'd want to get away from other neurologists at home and get away from the internists and ER docs who are calling you for consults while you're on vacation.

And it's not just reflex hammers... I see some tuning forks off to the side of the picture.

Ogling those should keep the neuronerds away from Hawaiian sightseeing for even more hours.

Kat's Kats said...

But... but... but... they have bags at conventions! And they put stuff in the bags! And then you get to ogle the haaammmmerrrrrs I agree that the POS Taylor was there to weed out the posers. Oooh! Ooooh! I wonder if they had nifty little hammer keychains to promote their product!! ::giggle::

givin - I kid you not, this was my wv. How apropos for a post about a convention! What was being givin' is why the bars are givin' booze to everyone over the age of 21 who can manage to avoid the POS Taylor Hammers. ::nods solemnly::

Dragonfly said...

Artisan hammers!

PACSman said...

"If I had a hammer
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land..."

ERP said...

I bet they also have a tuning fork section and some new invention to do cold calorics as well.

Anonymous said...

That's a Taylor? It looks more like something a rockhound would use. Reminds me of the little thing Andy Dufresne used to dig his way out of his cell in The Shawshank Redemption.

Anonymous said...

That's not a Taylor, it's for picking pebbles out from between the toes of Mongolian yaks.

Unknown said...

but, but ... "Taylor hammer is the most popular of the neurological instruments" ... according to the internet, so why the negativity?

(has medical degree and reflex hammer but never uses it)

Grumpy, M.D. said...

Nancy- read my previous post, which I linked above.

MarcW said...

The Taylor hammer was coated with batrachotoxin in a delayed-action suspension. Anyone who was foolish enough to handle it collapsed and died a few days later.

Neurologists do, indeed, take reflex hammers very effing seriously.

 
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