Category: reminiscence

  • The Good Old Days

    The Good Old Days

    I’m not a fan of country music, generally. I usually listen to the Big Mo (AKA John Heim) blues show on KCCK 88.3 on Friday nights. I also listen to the Music Choice channel on TV, either Easy Listening or Light Classical. However, a few nights ago I heard the song “Grandpa, Tell Me ‘bout…

  • New Calculator Replaces Vintage Model!

    New Calculator Replaces Vintage Model!

    Well, Sena ordered a new Sharp calculator and we just got it. It’s a Sharp EL-M335. It has a bigger, easier to see display and larger keys than the vintage Sharp ELSI MATE EL-505. We stuck with the Sharp brand because it’s durable and reliable. I’ve mentioned the old Sharp EL-505 in previous posts, mainly…

  • Break The Retirement News Gently to Doctors

    Break The Retirement News Gently to Doctors

    I’ve seen several articles on Medscape about how to convince doctors to retire or even force them to retire when they’re too old to practice. The articles are titled, “How Old Is Too Old to Work as a Doctor?”; “Are Aging Physicians a Burden?”; and “When Should Psychiatrists Retire?” The Great Resignation almost makes the…

  • Not Ambivalent I’m A Hawkeye

    Not Ambivalent I’m A Hawkeye

    I searched the web for a picture of ambivalence and had a tough time finding one. The featured image comes close. The reason I’m ambivalent is because of a conflict I have about the Iowa Hawkeye football program, which is currently the subject of a lawsuit by former African American players compared to the University…

  • Looking Back on Gunslingers and Chess Masters

    Looking Back on Gunslingers and Chess Masters

    I was looking at an early version of the handbook of consultation-liaison psychiatry that eventually evolved into what was actually published by Cambridge University Press. I wrote virtually all of the early version and it was mainly for trainees rotating through the consult service. The published book had many talented contributors. I and my department…

  • They Did Learn How to Check for Delirium!

    They Did Learn How to Check for Delirium!

    Here’s another oldie but goodie blog post, “It’s Survey Time.” It’s a blast from the past (May of 2011) but it needs a short introduction on why I’m reposting it. So, I’m about a week out from my surgery for a detached retina. I’m doing pretty well. I keep thinking about a question a nurse…

  • The Chicken Finally Lays An Egg

    The Chicken Finally Lays An Egg

    Below is an old post from a previous blog that I published on June 6, 2010. Although the title in my record is simply PM Handbook Blog, there must have been another title. Maybe it should have been more like The Chicken Has Finally Laid an Egg (you’ll get the joke later). There are two…

  • The Connection Between The University of Iowa and Factitious Disorder

    The Connection Between The University of Iowa and Factitious Disorder

    I found another old blog post, Thoughts on Munchausen’s Syndrome, which reminded me of a psychiatric disorder I saw probably more frequently than most psychiatrists unless they are consultation-liaison specialists. I wrote it in June of 2011. I still don’t understand the disorder and I doubt anyone else does either. The interesting connection to Iowa…

  • Quiz Show on Delirium

    Quiz Show on Delirium

    Here’s an old post from February 15, 2011 from my previous blog The Practical Psychosomaticist called Quiz Show Versus Grand Rounds for Delirium Education: “So you want to put on a game show contest to educate clinicians about delirium? Contact David Meagher, a psychiatrist in (where else?) Limerick, Ireland. He reported on this innovative educational…

  • Going Down Blogging Memory Lane

    Going Down Blogging Memory Lane

    I’ve been going down the blogging memory lane lately and thought I’d repost what was probably the very first post I published on my first blog, The Practical Psychosomaticist. The title was “Letter from a Pragmatic Idealist.” While a lot of water has gone under the bridge since mid-December of 2010, some principles remain the…