werner@aecom.UUCP (01/02/86)
[This week's puzzle is a tricky one suggested by John Wurzelmann. It
is very tricky, but I am presenting it as a puzzle on two levels, only the
second of which requires Medical knowledge.]
A patient comes into the Emergency Room extremely jaundiced -- that's
very yellow due to Liver failure. There are also other signs of liver failure.
Since people's skin color varies, to determine the extent of jaundice,
you examine the whites of the patients eyes. One eye is almost orange. The
other is totally normal-looking, showing no signs of jaundice. In addition,
the non-jaundiced eye is not responsive to light.
Now the eyes shouldn't be different like that, so that requires an
explanation, and then and only then, can the liver failure be explained.
The latter, incidentally, requires a bit of medical knowledge that even I
didn't have when John suggested this problem to me.
--
Craig Werner
!philabs!aecom!werner
"... Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous To Your Health"dr@ski.UUCP (David Robins) (01/10/86)
> [This week's puzzle is a tricky one suggested by John Wurzelmann. It > is very tricky, but I am presenting it as a puzzle on two levels, only the > second of which requires Medical knowledge.] > > A patient comes into the Emergency Room extremely jaundiced -- that's > very yellow due to Liver failure. There are also other signs of liver failure. > > Since people's skin color varies, to determine the extent of jaundice, > you examine the whites of the patients eyes. One eye is almost orange. The > other is totally normal-looking, showing no signs of jaundice. In addition, > the non-jaundiced eye is not responsive to light. > > Now the eyes shouldn't be different like that, so that requires an > explanation, and then and only then, can the liver failure be explained. > The latter, incidentally, requires a bit of medical knowledge that even I > didn't have when John suggested this problem to me. > -- > > Craig Werner > !philabs!aecom!werner Although this may not be the intended answer, I'll post it. Some doctors have gotten burned by this. THE NON-JAUNDICED, NO-LIGHT-RESPONSE EYE IS A PROSTHESIS! Some of them are very realistic looking. Obviously, a plastic shell won't become jaundiced. -- ==================================================================== David Robins, M.D. Smith-Kettlewell Institute of Visual Sciences 2232 Webster St; San Francisco CA 94115 415/561-1705 {ihnp4,qantel,dual}!ptsfa!ski!dr The opinions expressed herein do not reflect the opinion of the Institute!
larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (01/15/86)
>> A patient comes into the Emergency Room extremely jaundiced -- that's >> very yellow due to Liver failure. There are also other signs of liver failure >> ... >> Since people's skin color varies, to determine the extent of jaundice, >> you examine the whites of the patients eyes. One eye is almost orange. The >> other is totally normal-looking, showing no signs of jaundice. In addition, >> the non-jaundiced eye is not responsive to light. > > Although this may not be the intended answer, I'll post it. Some doctors have > got burned by this. THE NON-JAUNDICED, NO-LIGHT-RESPONSE EYE IS A PROSTHESIS! > Some of them are very realistic looking. Obviously, a plastic shell won't > become jaundiced. I have also heard of physicians mistaking an ocular prosthesis for a real eye. Which never ceases to amaze me because I would think that upon seeing no ocular reflexes, a physician would immediately look at the fundus using an ophthalmoscope. I don't believe that ocular prostheses have become THAT realistic that they have a fundus! However, in all fairness to physicians, such an analytical approach might be overlooked due to time pressures and the hectic nature of an emergency room. ==> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <== ==> UUCP {decvax|dual|rocksanne|rocksvax|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <== ==> VOICE 716/741-9185 {rice|shell}!baylor!/ <== ==> FAX 716/741-9635 {G1, G2, G3 modes} duke!ethos!/ <== ==> seismo!/ <== ==> "Have you hugged your cat today?" ihnp4!/ <==
ron@brl-smoke.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (01/15/86)
> I have also heard of physicians mistaking an ocular prosthesis for a > real eye. Which never ceases to amaze me because I would think that upon > seeing no ocular reflexes, a physician would immediately look at the fundus > using an ophthalmoscope. I don't believe that ocular prostheses have become > THAT realistic that they have a fundus! > However, in all fairness to physicians, such an analytical approach > might be overlooked due to time pressures and the hectic nature of an > emergency room. I've never once seen an ophthalmoscope in use in an emergency room. Generally, asymetric or pupils are dealt with as possible neurological problems and I guess the neurologist gets to have the last laugh. However, usually non-responsive pupils are either dilated or constricted, artificial eyes usually have some middle amount of iris showing. -Ron