Renaissance Magazine has published my article, Child health during the Renaissance in the Spring 2020 issue. You can Google it: Renaissance magazine Goscienski or go directly to this link: http://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?i=648518&p=30 )

The article, especially the illustrations, shows how far we have come in a few hundred years.

Upcoming presentations

Tuesday, March 10th, 2:30 Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside. A day in the life of a physician in ancient Egypt. Sponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Center. To register see their web site at http://www.csusm.edu/el/olli or call 800-500-9377.

Wednesday, March 25th, 1:00, OASIS Center, Grossmont Center. Plagues and pandemics. Sponsored by OASIS. To register see their web site at http://www.oasisnet.org. This will include an update on the current Coronavirus outbreak.

In the news

Panic or preparation – a perspective on COVID-19

What is your risk of encountering the Coronavirus?          The COVID-19 virus that emerged from China in September, 2019, has now appeared in at least 60 other countries, making it a true pandemic. The low mortality rate of about 2 percent – mostly in older persons with heart or lung disease – makes it much less dangerous than the other two anxiety-producing coronaviruses that arose in this new century.

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) affected fewer than 10,000 persons and had a mortality rate of about 9 percent; MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) infected fewer than 2,000 persons but had a fatality rate of about 38 percent. Influenza viruses kill between 40,000 and 100,000 Americans each year but that terrible number doesn’t seem to bother Wall Street very much.

The difference, of course, is that China has shut down factories and has restricted commerce. That means that you might have to wait some time for your next iPhone, TV or computer, or even your resupply of Ibuprofen or an antibiotic. Almost all of these products are made in China.

More Americans are going to become ill from the new coronavirus between now and next fall and it’s going to throw many into a panic, in which they’ll empty store shelves of water, bread, milk – and face masks. The value of the last item is that it keeps you from touching your mouth, nose and eyes, all of which are portals of entry for viruses. It is almost worthless in protecting you from infection. BTW – surgeons wear masks to keep from contaminating the surgical field with germs from their body; they are not worn to protect the surgeon.

There are plenty of reasons to keep a two-week supply of water, food and other necessities in your home but an epidemic isn’t one of them. Fire, flood, earthquake and a massive power outage are much more likely.

Prepare but don’t panic.

Lifestyle

Another one of those annoyances of aging: liver spots.

       Blotches that usually appear on the back of the hand, some of which have the brownish coloration of calves’ liver, have nothing to do with your own liver. They were so named by one of our imaginative ancestors many years ago and the name stuck.

Like other signs of aging — wrinkles, skin cancer – liver spots are the late effects of sun exposure. You can hide them with any one of the myriad of products at the cosmetic counter. For more lasting effects, a dermatologist can make them less noticeable with laser therapy or dermabrasion. Don’t try this at home!