Drawing from real medical journal cases, a doctor shares true stories about strange symptoms and perplexing patients. Those in the medical profession know that sometimes the cases that come into emergency rooms or doctor’s offices can be highly unusual—and depending on how things go, the results can be either tragic or comic. This collection of stories reveals some of the oddest and most memorable case histories, from the woman who claims she was brushing her teeth when she swallowed her toothbrush—but in fact was a bulimic using it to induce vomiting—to the man whose routine elective back surgery revealed he’d been carrying a bullet around in his body for years. From the funny to the frightening, these documented memorable medical mysteries make for fascinating reading.

What would it be like to have x-ray vision? Beyond diagnosing illness or injury, can images of ourselves tell us more about life? What if you could see that an accident victim will never walk again; that a young mother has breast cancer; or that a teenager is brain-dead and will be removed from life support? Can imaging help us better appreciate the complexity of existence, our strengths and vulnerabilities? Does looking into the body give insight into what it means to be human? Would it allow you, at least indirectly, to glimpse evidence of the human soul? Looking Within is the first mainstream collection of dramatic non-fiction narratives about discoveries in patients found by medical imaging. Ruff highlights the wonder and mystery of the human body, literally and metaphorically looking inside of others. Each story describes a patient in whom a life-changing discovery is made: tumors, stroke, domestic violence, substance abuse, sterility, unexpected pregnancy, infection, surgical complications, evidence of criminal activity, mental illness, even impending death. Dr. Ruff’s words, images, and insights help us see ourselves like never before.

A collection of fifty unbelievable and often disturbing strange-but-true medical stories.

This book discusses how facts travel, and when and why they sometimes travel well enough to acquire a life of their own. Whether or not facts travel in this manner depends not only on their character and ability to play useful roles elsewhere, but also on the labels, packaging, vehicles and company that take them across difficult terrains and over disciplinary boundaries. These diverse stories of travelling facts, ranging from architecture to nanotechnology and from romance fiction to climate science, change the way we see the nature of facts. Facts are far from the bland and rather boring but useful objects that scientists and humanists produce and fit together to make narratives, arguments and evidence. Rather, their extraordinary abilities to travel well shows when, how and why facts can be used to build further knowledge beyond and away from their sites of original production and intended use.

This volume is written by the most prominent contributors to the current understanding and treatment of anorexia, bulimia, and obesity. It details the techniques that can resolve these patients' strong defenses against the acknowledgment of their underlying conflicts, and it provides an understanding of the psychodynamic structure of the various personality disorders that are masked by eating disorder symptoms. Eating disorders are symptom complexes that occur in a variety of character disorders: hysterical, obsessive-compulsive, borderline, and--in some cases--psychotic conditions. The major problem for the psychotherapist is that these patients do not readily seek treatment, and if they do, they want a resolution of the symptom rather than a comprehensive approach to the underlying personality disorder. As the conflicts underlying the symptoms are analyzed, a variety of affects emerge, particularly those of depression. It is the handling of these affects that is crucial to therapeutic success. The authors explore the nature of object relations in a wide range of diagnostic categories, including neurotic compulsive eating, restrictor and bulimic anorexia nervosa, obesity, and rumination. Special therapeutic problems are detailed, such as severe regressive symptomatology, the use of medication, hospitalization, and countertransference. The authors deal with preverbal and early verbal communication, separation-individuation, the underlying impulse disorder, part-object relations, and projective identification. This book demonstrates that a psychotherapeutic approach that focuses on the underlying neurotic conflicts can result in normal eating and psychic health. It is an importantresource for every mental health professional called on to treat these difficult but rewarding patients.

Often the most ridiculous scientific facts lead to the most surprising insights. Journalist Kim Verhaeghe collects approx. 137 examples, in his hilarious and accessible science columns. For YA and adults. Not sure if you’d buy this book? Then drink a big glass of water and wait until nature calls. Scientific research shows that with a full bladder you are more likely to make the best choice! Often the most ridiculous scientific facts lead to the most surprising insights. Giraffes don’t sink collects approx. 137 examples of this. Like, the swimming patterns of ducklings teach us how ships can save fuel. The buoyancy of our turds may give us valuable health information. Other surprising insights include: men who are told that they have a small penis suddenly feel a greater urge to buy an expensive car, there is a reason why waiters spill more coffee than beer, and yawning is contagious for us but not for turtles. Giraffes don’t sink is science at its most flamboyant.