photo by OpenSkyMedia

A lobotomy is a brain surgery that cuts the connectors between the front bits and the back bits of the brain.  European doctors started performing the procedure on mental patients in the early 20th century, along with other radical therapies for extreme mental illness and insanity.  Other procedures included electroshock (or electroconvulsive) therapy, drug-induced deep sleep therapy, and more.

I am not, by any means, denouncing the entire psychiatric community for coming up with risky, damaging, and invasive radical treatments to try out on helpless mental patients.  Nope.  Not me.  Anyway…

Gottlieb Burckhardt was a psychiatrist in the late 1800′s and he performed lobotomies on six patients with varied diagnoses.  Two of the patients simply became more subdued, one died shortly after surgery, two were unaffected altogether, and one seemed to improve but then later committed suicide.

Egas Moniz was a Portuguese neurologist changed the surgery a bit – he drilled holes into the heads and injected alcohol to kill the frontal lobes.  I guess that didn’t work, because he came up with a tool called a leucotome that was really just a wire loop that scrambled stuff around in the patient’s heads.  This work, which took place in the mid-thirties, had better success rates than one would expect, earned Moniz the 1949 Nobel Prize for medicine.

Walter Freeman studied Moniz’s work and along with a guy named James Watts altered the practice and created their own procedure.  Called the Freeman-Watts procedure, they would drill into the scalp, and then later would go in through the eye socket.

1949 was the big year for lobotomies, with more than 18608 lobotomies taking place in the United States by 1951.  JFK’s sister had a lobotomy when she was 23 and she was never OK after that.  Same with Tennessee Williams’ sister Rose.  Other people, like Howard Dully and Alys Robi turned out just fine, but at the same time lots of people died.

That’s probably why they don’t do them anymore.

With the recent release of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, a prequel to the Charlton Heston/Roddy McDowell initiated film series, fresh in my mind I thought it would be an interesting idea to consider how likely our race could be overthrown. It all depends on how you define being in control of the planet.

Intelligent Apes

We are ‘the fifth Great Ape’. The remaining four are gorillas, orang-utans, chimpanzees and bonobos. The human race is in control currently in so far as being at the top of the food chain, indomitable and so technologically advanced that no other species could overthrow us. Indeed the only thing stopping us from becoming even more advanced is our propensity for mutual self destruction.

No other species on the planet deliberately plots, plans and carries out so much harm to its own members. In terms of intelligence we have no equal; our ape cousins are tool users but possess no complex form of language – hardly a fair contest. Couple that with the fact that many apes are on the endangered species list thanks to us and, very quickly, we can rule out any other apes taking over the world. Any species remotely like us tends to get wiped out pretty quickly. Just look at the Neanderthals. Personally, I would dread to see what we would do to, say, a subspecies of bonobos that did begin to communicate on our level.

Bonobo

Speaking of these apes, it is remarkable how similar our physiognomies are and, behaviorally, how they share many of our emotional traits. As a species, bonobos are female-centric, live cooperatively, engage in regular mating and display empathic tendencies. They are one of the few creatures that can mate face to face.

As with us they can recognise a reflection of themselves (self awareness mirror test) showing that they are aware of themselves as individuals. A pair of bonobos in captivity at the Great Apes Trust in Iowa, USA, called Kanzi and Panbanisha, have been taught to communicate using an image-based keyboard. Peter Singer, a bio-ethicist, says this and their other behavioural attributes should compel us to grant bonobos ‘Human Rights’.

Devolving Humans

Since the 20th century many countries have  developed a welfare system, set up with the best of altruistic intentions, that has finally become a millstone around our necks. In Nature, Charles Darwin put it best when he coined the much misunderstood phrase, ‘Survival of the Fittest’. Animals that are best suited to their environment are likely to succeed, reproduce and prosper. In our society’s ‘Benefits Culture’ where generation after generation are taking advantage of the system are being allowed to grow in numbers, not contributing and sapping the resources of the productive. A parasitic relationship continues to develop and until we can temper altruism with practicality this situation is likely to only grow worse. These ‘selfish’ humans are unfortunately becoming the ‘fittest’, at least in the West. Thankfully Eastern societies and the upcoming superpowers of India and China have societies that are less tolerant to shirking and it’ll come as no surprise that over the next few decades their star will continue to grow in the ascendancy: the human race will survive our Western blip as long as they don’t go down the same roads we have.

This may seem a political and right-wing diatribe but realistically the most ‘advanced’ human cultures have always fallen because of indolence or hedonistic complacency or by being taken advantage of. As a case-in-point, consider the Greeks, Romans, Aztecs and the Egyptians. West Europeans and North Americans are undoubtedly next.

Dolphins

One realm we don’t yet control is the oceans although we do our best to directly and indirectly cause so much damage to flora, fauna and habitat. So it would be very unlikely that any marine species could manage to adapt, develop and then take over the world. The obvious choice of intelligent species would have to be the dolphin and, thanks to Douglas Adams, we already know they’re brighter than us! Seriously though, it took us millennia to evolve out of the seas and although some of our early ancestors returned to the sea and evolved into dolphins and whales, we are in the best position to dominate the waters thanks to our technological expertise.

Ants

Insects have long been the subject of monster movies whether as an unstoppable marching colony invading a town or attacks by giant ‘irradiated’ beasts. Small scale incursions by ants are common in the Americas. In Houston, Texas, Crazy Raspberry ants invaded five counties in 2008, the second time in six years. Read more. These tiny ants damage electrical components, networks, eat beneficial insects like ladybirds and eat ground-nesting birds’ chicks. Many species of ants operate in similar ways and, if you can ignore the embarrassingly unscientific reporting of an otherwise fascinating story in this BBC article, these insects work very effectively as a farming collective.

Bees

Bees are the horticulturalist’s friend. These insects are essential for pollinating our crops and they’ve been unfairly denigrated in monster movies over the years. They pose little risk to human health except in large numbers and especially if you have the misfortune to come across African killer bees. Although being in proximity to swarming honey bees can be frightening, I would be more concerned if they were to gain a level of intelligence that made them realise that the honey we take from them could be put to better use by themselves.

Locusts

There is no species called ‘locust’; the word is a term covering many grasshopper species’ that change their solitary behaviour to a more gregarious behaviour during their progression to adulthood and then swarm. Why swarming occurs was subject of an in-depth and interesting study carried out by Oxford University that identified the response as a reaction to overcrowding. The report found, ‘Increased tactile stimulation of the hind legs causes an increase in levels of serotonin [causing] the locust to change colour, eat much more, and breed much more easily. The transformation of the locust to the swarming variety is induced by several contacts per minute over a four-hour period. It is estimated that the largest swarms have covered hundreds of square miles and consisted of many billions of locusts’. Read more. Locusts aren’t a direct threat but through the massive damage to crops that feed us, could lead towards famine and starvation if they became more widespread and often.

Crows

‘Bird-brained’ is a derogatory word aimed at belittling someone’s intellectual ability. Out of all the species on Earth you may be surprised to learn that members of the crow family have repeatedly shown remarkable levels of memory, problem solving and tool-use. The photograph below shows a crow learning to open a door using a pencil as a makeshift lever. As we use hammers, spanners, drills as extensions to our own hands and limbs, so do crows. Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ may be closer than you think.

Bacteria and Viruses

Anyone who keeps animals will tell you that ‘low population density’ is integral to their health. Farmers, particularly battery farmers, who keep animals in far greater numbers in the area that can support them, are prone to disease. Farmed animals need to be fed antibiotics throughout their life to keep them healthy. Bovine TB, strangles, foot and mouth, and a host of other infections spread rapidly through livestock with distressing ramifications. Farmed fish or an overstocked home aquarium spells disaster for the animals. With our population approaching 7 billion and our population density in urban areas increasing, I’m one of many people who now view bacteria or viruses becoming our species’ downfall. Bacteria are hammering at our door again for the first time since the discovery of antibiotics briefly halted their danger. Combine methycillin resistant bacteria and overcrowding and it’s not surprising we’re seeing an increase in tuberculosis among our city dwellers and the danger of further MRSA-type infections.

Aliens

Aside from microbial threats there is no real danger to Man’s dominance on Earth. This would leave extraterrestrial species as our only potential menace. Not likely though, is it?

And finally…

If this article is getting too heavy then perhaps we should finish with mice (according to The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, the most intelligent species on the planet.) It’s Pinky and the Brain that we should worry about more than anything else…

Guest blogger, Greg Coltman, writes prolifically about science, evolutionary biology and technology. He tries to keep fit and enjoys learning all sorts of healthy eating facts.  He is deathly afraid that your bacon may not be yours forever.

There is one encouraging thing about this practice.  If you don’t like it, at least it’s not permanent.  It is, however, probably painful.  The bulges like the ones you see above are created by the insertion of a needle under the skin through which saline drips to create the bump.  Once the selected part is inflated, the person who has been inflated can poke and prod the bulbous part.  A popular look is to press a dent into the center, creating the bagel look.

People choose all different types of body parts to inflate, but the forehead is popular because it is so obvious.  One drawback is that frequent inflation of one’s forehead can lead to a saggy forehead.  The skin can get stretched permanently.

But hey, there’s always Botox, right?

So without judgment at all, I submit the body modification practice known as “pocketing.”  It’s also called an “art implant,” a “3-D implant,” and the more technical “subdermal implant.”  Instead of piercing something on the outside and attaching body jewelry to it, this process involved inserting the jewelry under the skin so that the outline of it shows through the skin.  Almost like a body-jewelry-shaped growth or appendage. Regard:

photo by PRIMITIVECHILE body piercing y body modificacion

Wikipedia tells us that there are subdermal implants, like you see above, and transdermal implants, which would be implants that have something that sticks out of the skin.  So imagine the photo above, but with part of the inner implant showing.  The picture below shows this kind of implant – look at the guy’s forehead.

picture from wikipedia

Procedurally, the guy or gal who does this to you should be pretty skilled.  And everything should be STERILE.  Sheesh.  The chance for infection is pretty severe, and it’s also (albeit remotely) possible that your body will reject the implant.  They basically have to cut into you, hold your skin out with something called a dermal separator, and stick something under there and sew you back up.

Some people go WAY beyond a simple subdermal or transdermal implant and go all out.  There’s Stalking Cat, who has been implanted and tattooed to look like a cat.  Born Dennis Avner, Stalking Cat has subdermal implants along his forehead, and on the bridge of his nose to make his face catlike.  He also has transdermal implants on the cheeks next to his nose to allow for whisker-type piercings.  Check him out.

Another guy, Erik Sprague, calls himself The Lizardman.  and he’s made himself up to look like a (guess?) lizard.  He performs all over the place, eating fire and swallowing swords and stuff.  An ex Ph.D. candidate, he now lives in Austin, Texas and does performance art full time.  He’s appeared in the Jim Rose Circus, Todd Robins Carnival Knowledge, and more, and has toured and performed with bands like Godsmack, Hatebreed, and Slayer, to name a few.  Check him out.

There are others who have decided to turn their whole body into works of art.  There’s Katzen (the Cat Lady), The Enigma, Stelarc, and the infamous Fakir Musafar.  What makes someone decide to do permanent and painful modification to their body?

One school of thought is that the people suffer from body dysmorphic disorder.  This can manifest as an eating disorder, a preoccupation with extensive plastic surgery (think Michael Jackson or Jocelyn Wildenstein), or a desire to completely change your outward appearance.  Body dysmorphic disorder’s symptoms include “obsessive and compulsive behaviors related to perceived appearance defects” and (according to wikipedia’s sources) “any kind of body modification that may change one’s appearance.”

On the opposite side, the Church of Body Modification would disagree.  They “honor all forms of body modification and those who choose to practice body modification for any reason. “  They say that they “believe our bodies belong only to ourselves are are a whole and integrated entity:  mind, body, and soul.  We maintain we have the right to alter them for spiritual or other reasons.”

Additionally, the COBM also states that they don’t hold it against people who choose NOT to practice body modification.  That’s a lot more tolerance than non-body modifiers likely give to The Lizardman.

photo by gutter

In an article for the Wisconsin Medical Society, Dr. Darold Treffert talks about the different forms of extremely good memory.  He talks about memory where people memorize facts, music, geographic details automatically.  He says that they are mainly the result of savant memory, though he does qualify this in bringing up cases where the people with extraordinary memories were not savants, but mnemonists – people who retain images but can “turn off” and force themselves to forget the huge amount of data their brain collects and stores.

Then he tells us about Brad Williams, who has hyperthymestic syndrome.  Brad has been interviewed by Good Morning America, who calls him “the Human Google.”  His brother, Eric, has made a biography on Brad.  Called “Unforgettable,” the documentary is due out soon.

Brad is one of only a handful of people considered for study under the diagnosis of hyperthymestic syndrome.  The subjects are able to recall the day of the week for any given date, and are able to tell researchers all about what happened to them that day – what they were wearing, who they saw, and what public events happened that day.  Of the three people studied, two are left-handed, but scientists are not sure if there is correlation there, because so few people are actually diagnosed with this syndrome.

Do you know more about this?  Do you have additional information to share?  Please comment below!

Related articles

• The Inner Savant In All of Us (sharpbrains.com)
• Brain Injury Law Firm (braininjury-attorney.com)
• Benefits Of Memory Foam Pillow: How Can Memory Foam Pillow Improve Your Sleeping (frommyexperience.com)

Staging is the process by which once lung cancer is confirmed, the degree to which the cancer has established itself and how it presents in a patient is categorized.  This is essential if an appropriate and effective treatment regime is to be recommended and implemented in a lung cancer patient.
Staging is frequently referred to as “TNM” by oncologists (cancer specialists).

TNM refers to the three main factors used in staging:

•    Primary Tumor (T) – whether there is a tumor or tumors which can be established;
•    Lymph Nodes (N) – whether the cancer has occurred in the lymph nodes; and
•    Metastasis (M) – whether the cancer has spread to or from other parts of the body.

Each of these factors is further assessed to provide more detailed clarification.  For instance, where a tumor cannot be located but it is confirmed by the presence of cancer cells, the assessment will be TX.
A detailed explanation follows:

Primary Tumor (T)
TX – no tumor is located but is confirmed by presence of cancer cells
T0 – no evidence of a primary tumor

T1 – primary tumor of less than 3cm and not in the main bronchus
T2 – primary tumor which is any of the following:

•    Larger than 3cm
•    Is present in the main bronchus or other important parts of the lung

T3 – primary tumor of any size invading surrounding tissue or chest wall
T4 – as T3 but affecting the heart, trachea, great blood vessels – more serious than a T3 tumor
Regional Lymph Nodes (N)

Lymph nodes are small, bean shaped objects which are reservoirs of immune cells and materials vital to protect the body.  Regional lymph nodes refers to those lymph nodes in the surrounding vicinity of the lungs.
NX – no assessment

N0 – no regional lymph node metastasis (i.e. the lung cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes)

N1, N2 and N3 – metastasis has occurred to increasing severity

Distant Metastasis (M)

Metastasis refers to the spreading of the cancer to or from other parts of the body.  This is important because primary cancer (i.e. cancer which has originated at that location in the lung) is susceptible to treatment by surgery whereas metastasized lung cancer usually is not).

MX – no assessment of distant metastasis
M0 – no distant metastasis has occurred

M1 – distant metastasis has occurred and includes separate tumor(s) in other parts of the lung or body
Allocation of a Stage

After assessment of the tumor, lymph nodes and metastases, a stage is allocated which depends on the findings of how many tumors, where they are located and how they have spread?

The stages are allocated as follows:

Occult carcinoma – TX, NO, MO – cancer is present because of the presence of cancer cells but it cannot be located or assessed.  This is not allocated a distinct stage but is classed as an “unknown” or medical wildcard.

Stage 0 – any Tumor, N0 and M0
Stage IA – T1, N0, M0
Stage IB – T2, N0, M0
Stage IIA – T1, N1, M0
Stage IIB – T2, N1, M0 or T3, N0, M0
Stage IIIA – T1-T2, N2, M0 or T3, N1-N2, M0
Stage IIIB – Any T, N3, M0 or T4, any N, M0
Stage IV – Any T, Any N, M1

This is obviously a complicated exercise which may require repeated visits to the hospital and your doctor, but it is vital to effective treatment that this staging process is properly conducted.  How well staging is conducted has a direct bearing on survival rates of patients with lung cancer.

While the independence of driving can be important for senior citizens, it should never outweigh the importance of safety. As people age their bodies begin changing in ways that can affect an individual’s ability to drive. These changes can be slow or sudden and in either case should be taken very seriously. Ignoring these signs increases the chances of automobile accidents which could result in serious injury or death to the driver and others on the road.

Because the aging process affects people in vastly different ways and at different ages, each individual should examine their own ability to drive rather than use their peers as comparison. Changes in health do not mean you have to stop driving, but you should evaluate your skills and change your driving habits as necessary.

Have your hearing and eyesight checked every year. Changes in eyesight and hearing can have a huge effect on driving ability. Peripheral vision or seeing well while driving at night can be affected by certain eye conditions. As you age you may notice an increase in sensitivity to lights or a decrease in depth perception; both of which could be a detriment to driving ability. Hearing loss can interfere with driving as well. Being able to hear the noises of traffic, honking cars, and the approach of emergency vehicles is crucial to being a safe driver.

Changes in medication can affect a person’s driving ability at any age. Prescriptions and medications can affect a person’s reflexes and senses. Make sure you talk to your healthcare provider about the side effects of any medicine you will be taking and how it could affect your driving ability. Also check labels on any new medication, see how the medicine affects you and look for any side effects that may affect your driving.

Aging drivers may find that their response time is slowing. It may be time to change your driving habits if your reflexes have slowed or you find yourself becoming flustered behind the wheel. Split second decision making and quick responses to other cars is crucial to safe driving. Being able to brake suddenly and make quick lane changes is also a necessary skill.

Understanding personal limitations and how they affect your driving ability will help assure that everyone on the road is safe. While age and changes in health don’t necessarily mean one must stop driving, they do require awareness and evaluation and could mean it is necessary to change your driving activity.

About the Author: Paul Christopher Guedri is a personal injury lawyer with The Allen Law Firm. He works at the Richmond office at Allen & Allen but handles cases all over the commonwealth. He has focused his legal career in helping injured victims primarily in tractor trailer and trucking accidents, car accidents, bus accidents, product liability and wrongful death. He is a very successful lawyer and has been in the book Best Lawyers in America for the past 17 years.

[infographic source]

Jasper is not the only large baby born to his mother, a thirty-six year old woman named Amanda.  Amanda and John’s other two boys, Jake and James, were born at 10.56 pounds and 11.44 pounds respectively.  Jake, 3, and James, 1, are normal-sized now.

The average birth weight for a baby born in Victoria is 7.43 pounds.  Jasper is the biggest baby that pediatrician Dr. Barry Kras has ever seen.

Jasper’s not the biggest baby born by any means.  Here are some notable big babies.  Some are bigger than Jasper, some are smaller, but all are babies that you hope were born via C-section.

Meet Muhammad Akbar Risuddin.  He is a record-breaking big baby – he is the biggest baby born in Sumatra.  He weighed 19.2 pounds when he was born in 2009.  He was born via C-section.

This is Sean Lightwood (left).  He was one of Britain’s biggest babies at 13.6 pounds.  This is a picture of him next to a “normal-sized” baby of the same age.  No word on how he was delivered.

Born in 1963, John Sochacki weighed 16.2 pounds.

JaMichael Brown, born July 11 of 2011, weighed in at 16.1 pounds, a record for the state of Texas.

The biggest healthy baby on record was born to Carmelina Fedele in 1955.  Born in Aversa Italy, the boy was 22.8 pounds, but not much is known about him and there are no pictures.  Unless you have one?  Will the son of Carmelina Fedele please step forward?