Saturday, July 17, 2010

Amateur Diagnosis

In my studies of Anatomy and Physiology, I learned about Graves Disease, which is a condition in which the thyroid overproduces thyroid hormones, leading to a constellation of physical and mental abnormalities. Some of these abnormalities may be adaptive to some degree in certain situations. Nothing is good or bad. It is just different. I must remind myself of that. Organic life forms are subtle, much more so than the majority of computer programs. It is estimated that two percent of females suffer from a form of hyperthyroidism.

As I studied the list of symptoms, it occurred to me that a woman of my acquaintance might suffer from hyperthyroidism, which is insidious and sometimes difficult to detect. However, this is not something that I can ever mention to her, as we are no longer in contact. Such an observation would be resented, or at a minimum, misinterpreted. Only close friends can share such observations with one another with impunity. Besides, there is always the possibility that I am mistaken. I can only hope that the psychologists she consulted were aware of the possibility and recommended that she be tested for it.

I would like to live in a nation that devoted its resources to solving the problems of disease and infirmity, rather than starting pointless wars in worthless cesspools around the world. Disease causes more suffering among Americans than the foreign fanatics ever did. It is a worthy foe and more diabolic than the human villains of the day.
by igor 04:20 4 replies by igor 09:32 0 comments

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