I'm very excited to host Lacy Williams over the next four Fridays starting July 1st. She is going to be discussing the research she did into western medicine during the 1890's. I'm know she has a lot of fascinating information to share so I hope you'll keep coming by.Plus, she's giving you a lot of incentive. How about the possibility of winning four books!CONTEST INFOSince Jordyn is hosting me for four Fridays this month, I thought I would give away four books, three of which are medical-themed Love Inspired Historicals. The contest...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
April asks: For a grad assignment, I have to come up with murder mystery plot line. I have the general plot line down, but I'm wondering how efficient an autopsy in the 1950s would be?I need the victim to be poisoned, most likely by a relatively common plant--probably a daffodil, yew, or Wild Cherries (those are my top three choices at the moment). However, I have no idea how much or what kind of poisons would have been detectable by...
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
I decided to do a special post just for Jillian. She's an awesome supporter of this blog and had an interesting question in the comments section that was going to be easier to answer here.Her question: Did they know if someone had a concussion during the time period I write, which is Regency England.Jordyn says: Jillian, my best guess is that they understood head injury symptoms but probably not what the exact cause was. Boring a hole in the head to relieve pressure was a common medical practice (probably one of the oldest surgical procedures)....
Monday, June 27, 2011
Elaine asks:I have some medical questions from my WIP. I have a character who has had multiple concussions from past sports (ice hockey). I wondered if concussions are considered a "traumatic brain injury"?Also, or along with the above, I have the hero suffering a fall at a remote location in Hawaii on some lava rocks which leads to possibly another concussion and a dislocated shoulder. My heroine, who is an athletic trainer, arrives on the scene...
Friday, June 24, 2011
Today's post will conclude my three part series on Principles of Poisonings. There's lots more to talk about in this area so I'm sure I'll have more on this fascinating topic in the future.For the last part, I'm going to cover basic treatment guidelines of the poisoned patient. We're going to assume the patient arrives to the ED alert and breathing.1. Obtain the patient's weight. This may seems odd but when we look at whether or not a patient has ingested a toxic amount of the drug it will be determined by the mg/kg of the medicine. For example,...
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
What is a nomogram and how does it relate to poisoning? A nomogram is a graph that aids in treatment guidelines for the medical practitioner. Based on the level of drug and the time post ingestion, it basically tells when additional treatment (this would be above and beyond activated charcoal) would be necessary to potentially save the patient's life.Here is an example of a nomogram for acetaminophen. When the patient plots in...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Nothing will get a writer's mind whirling like dreaming up the perfect poison to kill off a character. Is there a perfect, undetectable poison? Maybe, probably... but you'd be amazed at what might be available in your own bathroom cabinet. If you're going to use drug poisoning as a way to sicken or kill a character, there are a couple of things you're going to need to research in order to figure out how much to give them, how long it will take...
Friday, June 17, 2011
Sometimes it's hard to know the difference between certain medical professionals but these differences can be important to the medical care they provide. For instance, today, Jude Urbanski is going to guest blog on the difference between a phycisian's assistant and a nurse practitioner. One thing to consider when writing a medical scene is... what is included in that person's "scope of practice". This is basically the laws that govern that person's...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Around 1828, a midwife by the name of Anna Bigsby (possibly Bixby) noticed a strange occurrence that milk sickness seemed to occur during summer and early fall. She began to warn her neighbors not to drink milk until after the first frost. Milk sickness, also known as puking stomach, sick stomach and the slows may have taken the life of Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks. Symptoms included loss of appetite, weakness, muscle pain and stiffness,...
Monday, June 13, 2011
I was recently on a trip through the Midwest visiting my aunt and uncle. Shout out to Linda!! My uncle asks if I've heard of the new "killer virus" that is in California. Now, this peaks my interest for several reasons. One, as a nurse, I hadn't heard about any new virus but know if it's in the news, parents will soon be asking/worrying about it. And two, as a novelist, what mayhem could this add to future book ideas?I immediately go to what...
Friday, June 10, 2011
Our OB/Neonatal nursing expert, Heidi Creston is back to discuss uterine anatomy. Now, why is this a good topic for writers? I sense the men blushing out there. They're fearful this is one of those times when the women get together and begin to discuss dreaded "female issues". Trust me, this post is very tame and a high area of conflict in any novel can be infertility issues. This will give insight. I'll turn it over to Heidi...You may...
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
This month, Dianna focuses on when EMS scenes become unsafe. Do these give you any new ideas for your novel?When Safe Scenes Turn DangerousUnlike inside a hospital, EMS operates in uncontrolled settings and environments. At any given moment a scene can and does suddenly become unsafe for us while we’re in the process of medically treating a patient. As an EMS crew is enroute, responding to a 911-Call, if Dispatch informs us PD (police department)...
Monday, June 6, 2011
I can always count on Dale for great medical questions. Dale asks:I was curious about blood transfusions. Sometimes in stories when a character gets a transfusion the writer messes it up, and of course those who do this sort of thing for a living know better. So how does a blood transfusion work, and what type of blood is universal?Jordyn says:The first thing is to determine the patient's blood type. This is typically referred to as a "type and cross"...
Friday, June 3, 2011
Kathleen Rouser is wrapping up her four-part blog series today on her research into pharmacy. Thank you so much for this wealth of information. I know I learned a lot!“Patent” medicines often claimed to be the cure all for what ailed you, especially if you were a woman. However, a large portion of the ingredients weren’t necessarily what the consumer would have expected. Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound contained high amounts of alcohol and Dr....
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Days like this are some of my favorites. Announcing winners!I want to thank all of you who read and participate in my blog. May was one of the best months ever and I owe it all to all of you. So, keep those ideas and medical questions coming. Feel free to send anything you're interested in knowing about to the e-mail listed under contact info. So, without further delay....Winner #1: Christine Lindsay! Christine is the winner of the May comment...
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