Charles Gifford wrote:
> "Boron Elgar" > wrote
>
>>
>>Mr. Thorson is a professional panic-meister on this topic.
>>
>>Boron
>
>
> But my dear Boron, he is also one of the most consistently entertaining and
> THE most effective of our mind expanding contributors. I've been here for a
> long time and I think that Mark has been here even longer. Over that time I
> have never seen anyone start an interesting thread better than him. He adds
> validity and erases timidity to many a paranoid, including me.
>
> Mark Thorson is a master of his art.
>
> Charlie, a simple fan
>
>

How about a true story about autopsies?
I had a patient who had a very peculiar dementia that killed her in her
mid-fifties. We were all baffled. When she died, I was delighted that
the family wanted an autopsy, even if their motive seemed to be if they
could find something obvious and treatable that we missed so they could
sue (they were easily distressed people who simply could not accept that
the medical world cannot make everyone live till 80; and to see
someone waste away like that is pretty terrible).
When they found out her history, the hospital morgue (not my hospital)
refused to do the autopsy FOR FEAR OF MAD COW disease. They didn't want
to risk getting it by handling her brain tissue (I spoke to them
personally), and released the body to the family whom I believe had it
buried. I called the County Health Department while the body was still
at the morgue, to see about getting a place that would do an autopsy. I
think they thought I was a reporter, and there was much spluttering and
"uh uh uh" as I was passed up the line of command. I was surprized that
a patient whose history was alarming enough to make a morgue refuse to
do an autopsy would not be a "reportable communicable disease", like
syphilis. Everyone turfed me up to their boss until I got the state head
of infection control, a very nice Vet, who told me it was NOT a
reportable problem, yet, but that hopefully it would be soon. She gave
me the number of a place that would PAY the transport costs, take a
sample of brain, and send it to a national data bank to look for prion
disease, but that it was entirely up to the permission of the family.
The body was released to the family, and I, out of a sense of doing what
was right, called the daughters (a rather nasty task because they were
so angry) again, giving them the number, etc, and they, after the usual
round of chewing me out, told me an attorney was helping them with the
issue.

So, at least in my state as of last year, if an MD (or more than one)
suspects prion disease, the county will not act on tracking it down.
IF YOU DON'T LOOK FOR IT, YOU WON'T FIND IT...a medical truism.