My life with ME: three poems that describe my world

ME and My Shadow

Everyone Exposed to Methyleugenol Whether you intend to or not, chances are you will consume approximately 6 micro-grams of methyleugenol (ME) today, according to a report in this month's issue by Dana B. Barr and colleagues of a study designed to measure ME in human blood _ serum [EHP 108:323-328]. ME is a compound that occurs naturally in a variety of spices and herbs, including clove oil, nu...

The Virus That Changed My World

When I first read this little poem in The Lancet in January 2003 (Heikkinen and Jarvinen 2003), it elicited little more than a bemused chortle. There are few who would deny the paradox that for all the medical advances providing cures for multitudinous diseases afflicting the human condition, there remains a large hole in the understanding of and treatment for the common cold. We know that it i...

Me, my Self and my Avatar Some microsociological reflections on "Second Life"

More than most other web applications, Second Life illustrates the potential of the Internet to amplify the fragmentation of human personality by inducing a manifold of "dummy identities" strictly dissociated from the piloting core personality behind the screen. In contrast to partialized offline identities as they emerge as correlates of "crossing social circles" (Georg Simmel), they transport...

My life with NF1.

My life with hurricanes.

About the author: I am currently working on the Gulf Coast in the division of general pediatrics at the University of TexasMedical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston. In the 1970s I attended medical school at Louisiana State University in New Orleans. After that I went to UTMB for my general pediatrics residency. I practiced general pediatrics in Longview, Texas, for 32 years afterward. I served as pre...