Micrognome

It’s near the end of a winter week on call and I’m getting ready to jet off to plan another bug-hunting adventure. No boxes, lab gear or cold reagents to worry about this time. Just ideas and a B5 notebook. Some things need sketching out in pencil on a clean sheet of paper before they can fly. So the MicroGnome will be absent from his desk for a couple of days; disconnected briefly from a reliable Blogging engine. But do not fear; the next Topical Medicine Breakfast has already been prepared, supplementary material for the last TMB is under starter’s orders, and there will be an on-line version of this week’s talk on field applications of molecular microbiology up on this site very shortly.

In the meantime, you need to take a look at this futuristic introduction to social medicine from our supporters at Life in the Fast Lane. Here you will encounter such exotic species as the solar-powered RMO (yes, the light’s just gone on and, no, the sun does not necessarily shine out of his mouth or any other orifice). Clearly the jungle is full of wonderful beasts. After the MicroGnome’s initial, jaw-dropping awe had subsided, he began to consider the possible consequences for zoonotic infection when mere mortals stray into the social medicine jungle. LITFL’s guide hints at navigation aids for the beginner. Could there be a field guide for the novice backhacker?