A sociopath is often described as someone with little or no conscience. I’ll leave it to the psychologists to decide whether Holmes fits the clinical
A sociopath is often described as someone with little or no conscience. I’ll leave it to the psychologists to decide whether Holmes fits the clinical profile, but there’s no question that her moral compass was badly askew. I’m fairly certain she didn’t initially set out to defraud investors and put patients in harm’s way when she dropped out of Stanford fifteen years ago. By all accounts, she had a vision that she genuinely believed in and threw herself into realizing. But in her all-consuming quest to be the second coming of Steve Jobs amid the gold rush of the “unicorn” boom, there came a point when she stopped listening to sound advice and began to cut corners. Her ambition was voracious and it brooked no interference. If there was collateral damage on her way to riches and fame, so be it.
Excellently paced exposé on both Theranos and its CEO/founder, Elizabeth Holmes. The science behind their "proprietary secrets" was easily explained for the layman (i.e. me) to understand the terrible ramifications of what they did do (lied to several thousand patients about the veracity of their blood tests) and what could have happened, if this hadn't come to light (more than one death due to negligence, no doubt)....more
Mary Roach's unique combination of a broad spectrum of research and an engrossing narrative tone is excellent for me as both a reader and a writer; thMary Roach's unique combination of a broad spectrum of research and an engrossing narrative tone is excellent for me as both a reader and a writer; the off-the-cuff tid-bits she offers as footnotes have spawned several story concepts that are now rattling around in my Very Special Notebook. There's a lot you can do with a cadaver dressed in orange and yellow Lycra.
I find it incredible that when you donate your body to science, you have to sign a specific waiver specifying you are also okay with being used for testing that involves "impacts, blasts, ballistics testing, crash testing and other destructive forces." I want to know who got to that point and refused? It's odd to draw a line in the sand right there. It's okay to be sliced n' diced by a first year med student but not to be used for safety protocols? Personally, I would be thrilled to sign that form - my carcass would love to test out those new Kevlar undies.
The very short portion of Grunt she spends talking about the effects of underbody blasts to the feet was actually far more disgusting than her whole book on dead people.
Without the [fat padding of the heel], the pain of walking is acute. When vitamin A poisoning caused the soles of Antarctic explorer Douglad Mawson's feet to slough off, he stuffed them in the bottom of his boots like Dr. Scholl's cushioning insoles. It was the only way he could go on.
This is a fact I can never unknow and I have Ms. Roach to thank for it.
Reading this was much like looking up just that one article on tvtropes - I have several pages of notes and that was before I even laid my eyes on her bibliography. I imagine one google search will lead me down the rabbit hole for hours. I can't wait.
NEW THING I LEARNED: A tip on how to steal someone's phone, if I wanted to:
Smart smartphone thieves use the startle reaction to their advantage. They come up behind unsuspecting texters and whap them on the back of the head. The startled victim's arms bend, launching the phone, which is effectively tossed to the thief.
Only my esoteric knowledge of gross diseases and animals helped me figure out the mystery before Emma. Still, this was an exciting journey filled withOnly my esoteric knowledge of gross diseases and animals helped me figure out the mystery before Emma. Still, this was an exciting journey filled with lots of gunfire, car chases and explosions.
I'm glad to see that my initial suspicion of (view spoiler)[Mark was entirely justified! (hide spoiler)]. I'm sure plenty of readers had the same feelI'm glad to see that my initial suspicion of (view spoiler)[Mark was entirely justified! (hide spoiler)]. I'm sure plenty of readers had the same feeling, but I want to feel special so I will.
I wish this were a series so that I could see how Abby, Yakov and Katzka end up!...more
I went into this memoir thinking it would be a modern day version of Jennifer Worth's The Midwife. I was sorely mistaken. There are barely any storiesI went into this memoir thinking it would be a modern day version of Jennifer Worth's The Midwife. I was sorely mistaken. There are barely any stories of midwifery, especially since the author's practice had discontinued OB services prior to the writing of the book.
The Blue Cotton Gown was about Patricia Harman and her husband's inability to manage their own finances time and time again....more
The human brain is as mysterious as the oceans, man. We really only know that we don't know much about it, even now, decades after this boo3.75 stars.
The human brain is as mysterious as the oceans, man. We really only know that we don't know much about it, even now, decades after this book was originally published. It's a little bit terrifying....more
Loved the anecdotal format of this "series". For all that I rather dislike babies, I sure do love midwifery stories.Loved the anecdotal format of this "series". For all that I rather dislike babies, I sure do love midwifery stories....more
I really enjoyed this. I love medical dramas and I love urban fantasy, so I was already pumped to read it. It was definitely a much more realistic takI really enjoyed this. I love medical dramas and I love urban fantasy, so I was already pumped to read it. It was definitely a much more realistic take on how the world would work if these creatures existed, very gritty and disgusting at some parts. The descriptions of the zombies were probably my favorite part, definitely a lot different than you would expect from Hollywood portrayals of them....more
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