Welcome to this week’s difficulty of The Week in Medication – a round-up of all of the happenings on the planet of Irish medication
The surgical masks has change into one thing of an icon of the instances we dwell in – particularly when discarded on the road. Nothing says ‘pandemic’ like these disposable masks clogging up a gutter someplace.

Portrait of Sara Little Turnbull within the Nineteen Thirties. Pic: Wikipedia
Sadly, the carrying of a masks grew to become a political assertion someplace alongside the road as anti-science activists sought to embarrass and accost individuals carrying masks in public – resulting in media protection, resulting in some individuals being afraid to put on masks, a lot in the way in which individuals are actually afraid to criticize Trump.
That form of venom has been rising for years, however the really efficient masks – the N95 – has gotten misplaced in all of this. The 95, after all, refers to the truth that it blocks 95 per cent of particles that measure 0.3 microns or extra, which embody many viruses.
It was a girl within the US firm 3M who developed the masks, one of many very first ‘design engineers’. Sara Little was born Sara Finkelstein and stood 5 toes tall. She was nicknamed ‘Little Sara’ and finally modified her identify legally to Sara Little. (I imagine Robin Hood had an identical good friend!)
She was a baby actor, {a magazine} editor, a advertising and marketing advisor, a textile designer and eventually, a design engineer with 3M. She labored on new non-woven material within the Fifties developing with a number of makes use of for the fabric, together with a moulded bra cup, and a medical masks. The bra cup form finally morphed into the N95 masks we all know as we speak.
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Barack Obama and Donald Trump find yourself in the identical barber’s store in Washington. As they’re sitting there, every being shaved by a distinct barber, not a phrase is spoken. Each the barbers are too afraid to begin a dialog, for concern that it will flip nasty. (Some individuals say they provide the most effective shaves ever)
Because the barbers completed their shaves in silence, the barber shaving Trump reaches for the aftershave. However DJT is fast to cease him – saying (jokingly), “No thanks. My spouse, Melania, will scent that on me and assume I’ve been in a brothel.”
The second barber turned to Obama and mentioned, “How about you, Mr. Obama?” Barack replied, “Go proper forward. My spouse, Michelle, doesn’t know what the within of a brothel smells like.”
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A affected person with kidney illness usually has to attend not less than two years in Eire for a transplant, and infrequently many extra years than that. Sadly, there are lots of myths round kidney donation, so I used to be delighted that the Mayo Clinic – latest recipients of the ‘Finest Hospital within the World’ title – has issued the next 5 ‘myths’ about kidney donation.
- Residing donors must be in good well being.
- Folks over 50 can’t be a residing donor.
- You have to be associated to somebody to be a match.
- Kidney donors can’t dwell an lively life after donation.
- Donating a kidney shortens your lifespan.
These are good messages to get out to most people and you’ll refer sufferers right here if they’re on the lookout for data on donation.
The Irish Kidney Affiliation celebrates World Kidney Day this Thursday they usually have some very helpful data on their web site right here.
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Latest political, eh, re-alignments have created fairly the stir lately, and Eire appears a bit embarrassed with not a single fighter jet or naval ship to cover our nakedness. However again in our personal healthcare world, Ukrainian refugees who dwell in Eire are heading again to their very own private hell and war-zoned nation to avail of well being companies.
This phenomenon was reported in The Journal right here and is price realizing when treating Ukrainian sufferers.
It could be a bit miserable as a physician to advocate that as an alternative of receiving remedy right here, a affected person could be higher suggested to journey throughout a continent, to a struggle zone, to obtain remedy, however that is the place we’re.
Eire has for years tied itself up in argumentative knots about whether or not we’re ‘impartial’ or ‘impartial, however on the West’s facet’. We have been, plainly, a part of the Western hegemony that existed from 1945-2025 however the place are we now?
This present day week, Micheál Martin enters the Oval enviornment the place he shall be anticipated to say: “Hail Trump, those that are about to be tariffed to dying salute you.” He could then be abused or praised by Trump – neither of which shall be deserved. Martin shall be compelled to fake that Trump is a good human being – not a rapist, a fraud, a traitor (virtually definitely at this stage), a felon, and essentially the most corrupt President in American historical past. That can take ability. Huge ability and performing skill.
America’s abandonment of Ukraine implies that Europe should improve and improve each piece of support we give them, and our relationship with Ukraine will go on for generations. Someplace, down the road, we would ask them – how do you run such an unbelievable well being system in wartime that’s higher than ours in a booming peace financial system?
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Yet another on the ‘nice’ man…
DJT was visiting an infants’ class in a faculty. He asks the category to present an instance of a tragedy.
A boy raises his hand and says: “My aunty died final week. That was a tragedy.” However Trump says “No, no, no, imagine me – and I do know extra about tragedy than anybody – that was a loss, not a tragedy.
Then a lady raises her hand and says: “My Daddy fell off a ladder yesterday and broke his arm. It was a tragedy.” However Trump shakes his head and says: “No. That may by no means have occurred on my watch. That was an accident. This stuff occur”
One other woman, carrying a MAGA hat says: “Mr President, Sir, should you have been flying in an airplane and a missile shot it down, that might be a tragedy. Trump smiles and nods his head. “That’s the appropriate reply. Now, inform the faux information individuals right here why that’s.”
“Properly, Mr. President, Sir, it will definitely be no loss and I’m positive it will not be an accident!”
Picture of Colesseum in Rome: Tripadvisor