Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Mind of a Neurologist

Between patients I'm sitting here listening to iTunes on the computer, and it picked Supertramp.

At the end of "It's Raining Again" there's a chorus of kids singing "It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. He bumped his head and went to bed and didn't get up the next morning."

And I immediately think "Huh. He must have had a subdural hematoma."

Sigh.

I've been doing this for too long.

24 comments:

Lo said...

Yep. But I'm not even a Doctor and I thought the same thing........my excuse is too many episodes of "House".

I loves ya', Dr. G.

Erin RN said...

That is exactly what I think of when I hear that rhyme!

Officer Cynical said...

I would have two thoughts: 1) He probably didn't really bump his head; someone probably offed him in his sleep. 2) I hope he isn't a hoarder.

Mr Mobius said...

Actually, it's probably more a sign of thinking like a Medical student.

We love to identify medical things in every aspect of life. I guess it gives a sense of feeling like we're beginning to pick up some medical knowledge.

Diagnosing in House is a popular thing as well.

Anonymous said...

One of my friends just posted part of this song on my facebook page. What is it with this song today? Did I miss something?

And what a weird little rhyme...

Li'l Azathoth said...

Clearly, they sent you away to teach you how to be sensible, logical, responsible, practical, and they showed you a world where you could be so dependable, clinical, intellectual, cynical.

Anonymous said...

And, of course, he slept through breakfast in America.

Anonymous said...

LMAO, Dr. G!! I'd actually never thought to diagnose the "old man" although I have been fascinated by the morbid nature of the song since I was young. It's right up there with Rockabye Baby. Even at the age of three, I knew these songs were odd...but also somewhat amusing. (No wonder I ended up in emergency...morbid humor is the only thing keeping us sane.)

Officer Cynical, your points are equally valid and humorous!!

Anonymous said...

EM Resident here.
You know you have been in medicine too long when a bird flies into the window and you say ' .5mg mor and he better be in a c collar' to your girlfriend.

OMDG said...

Nerd.

The Mother said...

Most nursery rhymes have some basis in history--the "ring around the rosie" was the plague, for instance.

But I seriously doubt that they understood subdurals when that rhyme was put together. Nice try.

Kat's Kats said...

::giggle:: I can remember thinking as a kid that he suffered a brain injury whenever I heard/sang that. Come to think of it, I was also the only one in my class who knew the origin of "Ring Around the Rosy".

Anonymous said...

That is when the neon sign flashing "dork" goes off. My friends in college and I decided it goes off anytime you adapt a everyday situation and make it about your profession.

Anonymous said...

Correlation does NOT prove causation. The bump to his head may have no relationship to his inability to wake up. He's an old man. Maybe he just had a stroke.

RSDS said...

As a child I learned a slightly different version of that rhyme:

"It's raining, it's pouring;
The old man is snoring.
Went to bed, covered his head;
And he won't get up in the morning."

OldSquid said...

Crazy story on the news this morning about Face Blindness!?! Have you ever encountered this?

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=164595

Grumpy, M.D. said...

Yes.

Packer said...

Expound Grumpy was it closing time at the bar ?

Sorry I mentioned House yesterday, cause now we are going to have a run on House diagnoses re runs

When you hear Jack and Jill do you think impurely ?

Moose said...

Oh, Doc, we all do this in our own fields.

Many (many) years ago when I had a functional body & used to play with live audio (as in rock'n'roll 'n' stuff) some colleagues & I were sitting around watching TV and one of those Solid Gold style shows came on [hey, I said it was long ago]

and everyone started bitching out the technical side -- the lighting people starting picking on the colors and the layout and the sound guys all started yelling about fake microphones and the obvious proof (duh!) that it was a recording ("Hear that saxophone? Do you SEE a saxophone there?!")

ERP said...

Right. The snoring tips it off.

vicki said...

you diagnosed without a ct or mri? hmmmm ... didn't think you'd do that ::giggle::

RSDS said...

Re: Jack and Jill

"Jack and Jill went up the hill,
to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down,
and BROKE HIS CROWN;
and Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got;
and home did trot,
as fast as he could caper.
Old Dame Dob,
plastered his knob,
with *vinegar and brown paper."


*Old time brown paper, when soaked with vinegar, would release DMSO.

Diane said...

My husband, an accountant, was talking about "assets" and me, a PT, could only think of "glute sets"!!! Sad...

MS1 student said...

How do you know it's a sundural hematoma as opposed to an epidural hematoma?

I absolutely love your blog Dr. Grumpy, it makes a great study break! :P

 
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