Lung cancer is a killer. It ends the life of more Americans than any other cancer. Frustratingly for those of us surgeons who do or have treated afflicted patients, the likelihood of developing lung cancer can be significantly diminished. Actively smoking or being exposed passively to the exhaled smoke from Read More
Author: alexlittle@att.net
As a retired person I have taken full advantage of the opportunity to read at leisure. I am fascinated by one subject—quantum theory. It’s far too late for me to even attempt to learn the math necessary for a true understanding of this field—no pun intended (please see below if Read More
You might think that the esophagus—it starts in the neck but most of it nestles safely within the chest and abdomen, guarded by ribs and a lot of tissue—is safe from being burned. Not so. Just as food has access to the inside of the esophagus so do a variety Read More
Recently my wife and I bought a hummingbird feeder which we perched outside our kitchen eating area. We expected action as southern Arizona is home to many hummingbirds. Within a few days we were pleased as these small birds began to helicopter in to dine on sugar water. We boggled Read More
Air: all around us. Inside each of us there is air in our lungs. So technically we have air inside our chest; but, as we breathe in and out, it’s contained within our lungs. When air accumulates in the chest but outside the lungs—into what is called the pleural space—bad Read More
June 6. Lightning struck quite near our house on Pusch Ridge, part of the Catalina mountains in Tucson. The preceding months were dry so it’s not surprising it ignited a fire. It began on our side of the mountain but didn’t seem to be threatening as we have only desert Read More
As a surgeon, now retired, I, like my colleagues, spent many hours wearing a mask in the operating room. By wearing one I protected my patients who had open chests or abdomens, all susceptible to infection; the mask wasn’t for my benefit. It is an established scientific fact that face Read More
In my last blog I talked about the surgical culture. Now we move to the epicenter of that culture: the operating room. It’s a unique experience: being a surgeon responsible for actions in an operating room. I wouldn’t say it was in any sense superior to other work experiences. I’m Read More
Both my father and grandfather were general surgeons in our small South Georgia town. Despite this tradition I entered medical school expecting to end up in another, unspecified, specialty. I am not entirely sure why, probably a residual carryover from adolescent rebellion. However, this mind set changed during my third Read More
My wife and I spent Christmas week in London. We planned ahead and saw quite a bit. I highly recommend visiting Churchill’s war rooms in which he and his staff managed Great Britain’s WWII activities. I did have one disappointment: the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons was Read More
