There just seems to be something about July.  Everything at the hospital is new and enthusiasm is bursting.  It has made for a busy week in trying to keep up with the very best the internet has to offer.  I have expanded my usual offerings and still have to great posts I’ve left out.  If any of you are real die hard fans, subscribe to the nuggets from all over feed on the sidebar.  For those who just need a weekly fix of the world wide web’s offerings, I present the best I’ve seen-

Regarding the Mind-

In a true display of a picture being worth a thousand words, Medgadget explains a sensory illusion by means of an optical illusion, explaining how the mind causes it by the manner it integrates sensory input in general.  Very cool!

The New York Times has an vivid, eye opening report on PTSD and the horrors of war, as they tell the heartbreaking tale of private Dwyer.

At Neuroscientifically Challenged, Marc Dingman ponders the implications of a study showing that the more human the appearance of a robot, the more likely we are to ascribe human intentions to it.

Regarding the Soul-

In a post for the looking aiming square at the  the silver lining record books, Dr. Bob and the Doctor is in sings the virtues of hypocrisy, in a manner without hypocrisy or guile.  Insightful.

In a second post that moves somewhat along the same vein, Bruce Webster of Adventures in Mormonism shares a wonderfully insightful and artful comic strip anwering common criticisms of specific faith and commitment.

Now that I have defended hypocrisy and commitment to a specific faith, here is an excellent post to balance things out.  At  On Faith , by Rabbi  Brad Hirschfield explaining the problem with the perjorative terms we use to describe beliefs we find strange while simply changing our tone for our own spiritual outlook.

Shahrazad has stunning and beautiful poem she shares with us about the wonder of creation and the prayer of a Muslim, stating  “A Red Rose is my Mecca.”.

Regarding the Body-

NPR reports a new discovery that H Pylori, the stomach bacteria responsible for ulcers, has some good in the body as well.  It turns out people with the bug have less asthma.  My, My medicine is getting more complex all the time.  I can’t keep the good bugs and the bad ones straight anymore.

In the amazing medical gadgetry department, Medgadget presents the Pill Cam, a pill sized camera that has been used to identify and diagnose Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disorder.  Who ever new a pills eye view of the gullet could be so useful.

At Radiology Picture of the Day, a fascinating (to me, anyway) picture of an MRI showing appendicitis in pregnancy, showing just how the appendix migrates to where doctor’s don’t expect it to make room for a bun in the oven.

or All the above-

At Revolution Health, Dr. Val and the voice of reason has an amazing story about the a 90 year old retired pediatrician who remains very devoted to his patients.  As he described how he openly prays for his patients, I was struck by how he is truly the product of a bygone era.

At Musings of a Distractible Mind, Dr. Rob ponders the human appetite for self destruction, embodied in its extreme by Lesch-Nyhan syndrome in a very thought provoking post.

Dr.Deb has here finger on the pulse of the latest technology for Autistic spectrum disorders, built on the idea that what they really need is a hug, as she describes a pressure vest designed to increase touch senory input, or self stimulation and calm patients with difficulty integrating their sensations.

In the spirit of abhorrent breaches of ethics and privacy that I oppose body, mind, and soul, here is a report at GNIF BrainBlooger describing the politics behind selling physicians prescribing habits to pharmaceutical companies.  Write your congressman today, this needs to end.

and just becacause I liked it-

Dr. Rob at Musings of a Distractible Mind was on a roll this week.  Here is a hilarious post looking at the absurdity of the insurance industry and the lengths they go to find the perfect code.  If only their dedication to their actual customers and general health care quality was this complete.

The Clinical Cases and Images Blog bids a fond farewell to the world’s oldest blogger, Olive Riley of Sydney, Australia, who passed away at 108.  She truly exemplified the motto, you are never too old to pick up a new hobby,

Here is an amazing performance by a group of high school kids calling themselves the Wrong Trousers, playing what I guess is now a classic oldie, from my childhood (Am I really that old?), “Video killed the Radio Star” and playing it 90s style old school, unplugged.  I more than LIKED it, this is simply brilliant!

That concludes the offerings for this week.  Tune in next time for all the stuff I wish I’d have written, pictured, videoed or whatever.  In the mean time, I’ll get to writing my own stuff I wish I had written and at the very least my wishes may be fulfilled.