Required reading....

Following is a list of books I would consider “required reading” for understanding how the world works (from my point of view). I’d like other suggestions for important books that contributed or changed one’s point of view.

Part of the impetus for some of these readings are the following quotes from Robert Heinlein:

The three-legged stool of understanding is held up by history, languages, and mathematics. Equipped with these three you can learn anything you want to learn. But if you lack any one of them you are just another ignorant peasant with dung on your boots

And

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe, and not make messes in the house.

So here is the list....Not in any particular order

The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations by James Surowiecki

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

Brave New World Revisited (Perennial Classics) by Aldous Huxley

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

Freedom Evolves by Daniel C. Dennett

Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life by Daniel C. Dennett

The Sokal Hoax: The Sham That Shook the Academy by The Editors of Lingua Franca

The Flight from Science and Reason by Paul R. Gross

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Mythos Books) by Joseph Campbell

Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences by John Allen Paulos

A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper by John Allen Paulos

Conflict of Interest.....

Why is it that an NIH funded investigator supporting view X has no conflict of interest (even though supporting view X will give him more funding) , but an industry funded person supporting view Y is always suspect?
We should evaluate the data independent of the source. That is, read the methods and results section and ignore the extrapolations in the conclusions….

Marine Anesthesia

No, Not underwater anesthesia, but a comparison. The Marine Rules for gunfighting can be found in a number of spots on the web...Here they are, followed by my Anesthetic Rules of Engagement....

Marine Corps Rules for Gun Fighting
1.Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive
3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. Have a plan.
13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.
14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
16. Don't drop your guard.
17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.
18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.
19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a "4."

Anes Rules for Engagement
1. Bring an IV. Preferably, bring at least two IVs. Bring all of your friends who have IVs.
2. Anything worth a liter of fluid is worth two. Crystalloid is cheap. Life is expensive
3. Only working IV’s count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
4. If your sterile technique is good, you're probably not moving fast enough.
5. Move away from bodily fluids. Latex is your friend. Follow Universal substance precautions
6. If you can choose what to bring to a trauma call, bring a big IV and a friend with an ETT.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of IV gauge, location, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not managing fluids or airway, you should be communicating, restocking, and running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most drug dosing standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent factors of the drug.
10. Someday someone may kill your patient with an IV, but they should have to beat him to death with it, not cause an air embolism because the IV is empty.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. Have a plan.
13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.
14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible. Always wear gloves, mask, & glasses.
15. If one approach to an IV or drug doesn’t work, try another.
16. Don't drop your guard.
17. Always check IVs, drugs and scan monitors 360 degrees.
18. Watch the surgeon’s hands. Hands kill. In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.
19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
20. The faster you finish the code, the more sleep you will get.
21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to resuscitate everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
24. Do not attend a trauma code with a IV, the caliber of which does not start with a "14."

4F rants

This is 18 Jan 2006. I am at the Computers in Anesthesia meeting in San Diego, blogging this on a dell xps M170. The future of this blog is yet to be determined, but may serve as a place to rant on various/varied topics from medicine to politics.