Out Of The Old Black Bag

 

OUT OF THE OLD BLACK BAG

 

Letter to the Editor: Unbreakable Record

By Anthony L. Kovatch, M.D.

 

Musical Accompaniment: “Bolero” by French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). This unforgettable single-movement composition is known for beginning softly and ending, according to Ravel’s instructions, as loudly as possible. There is debate as to whether its monotonous repetition was a consequence or even a cause of the composer’s mental decline and progressive aphasia. Some claim that listening to the piece can trigger insanity. It was played for 36 hours straight to intimidate the pledges during my college fraternity’s initiation weekend. 

 

“I have to say I never expected The PediaBlog would have a run like this.”

— Editor, Ned Ketyer, M.D. (“4,000!” from February 20, 2023)

 

And neither did anybody else! How could one individual — no matter how energetic and dedicated — possibly produce 4,000 consecutive daily posts that would include every weekend, holiday, and time away on vacation? Is any human brain configured for such painstaking repetition and attention to detail? 

Even Cal Ripkin’s major league baseball records of 2,632 consecutive games and 8,264 consecutive innings played pale in comparison. The venerable Lou Gehrig’s previous count of 2,130 consecutive games — thought to be an “unbreakable record” — took almost 50 years (4/30/39 to 9/19/98) to eclipse! Are Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in a single basketball game or Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak legitimate unbreakable records?

It was 10 years ago — February 27, 2013 — that yours truly made his first contribution to The Pediablog in its “Who’s Your Doctor” column. It was easy enough since Ned did all the work. In late summer of that same year, I suddenly got the inspiration and initiative from reading the daily posts to activate my “Plan B” (being a physician being Plan A”) after a 50-year moratorium: spilling out on paper the contents of the “well-lighted” part of my brain. So I made an “executive decision”: It was time to join the band! 

     Come hear Uncle John’s Band

     Playing to the tide

     Come on along or go alone

     He’s come to take his children home

                — Refrain from “Uncle John’s Band” by the Grateful Dead

 

My reporting on our family’s first and only trip to Paris, France in “Madame Chocolat” ignited the momentum that produced my first column, “Mind on the Run,” and its sequel, “Out of the Old Black.”

The Grateful Dead, byname “The Dead,” was an American Rock band that was the incarnation of the improvisational, psychedelic music that “flowered” in and around San Francisco in the turbulent, but heuristic, mid-1960s. Jerry Garcia was their lead guitarist, principal songwriter, and was a kind of “spiritual advisor” to those of us who had roots in the counter-culture of that era.

 

I was proud to join many of my colleagues who likewise “took up the pen” to assist Dr. Ketyer at making The PediaBlog a premier platform in the burgeoning landscape of social media. I often worried that reviewing and editing my submissions were more a drain on his time and energy than composing the essays himself. Furthermore, I cannot think of a greater educational boon than having cutting edge knowledge in the entire field of pediatrics at your fingertips 24/7/365. I must admit that I do miss the laughter that was generated by gaping in astonishment at the misinformed claims of the “trolls” prior to their ablation from the comments section.

When I was a pediatric resident in New York City many days gone by, a venerable pediatric “giant” from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan — a researcher in the field of infectious diseases by the name of Dr. Horace Hodes — rounded at our institution as a visiting professor at the age of 73. His reputation preceded him: “There is not one pediatrician in the country who has not learned something from Horace Hodes!” Likewise, I contend that there is not one employee of Pediatric Alliance (now the Allegheny Health Network Pediatric Institute) or a family who has walked through the doors of its offices who has not been guided by the state-of-the-art information or the entertainment that The PediaBlog provides 24/7/365! Even the trolls!

All we pediatricians stand on the shoulders of “giants” like Horace Hodes:  Those who teach us the art and then remind us constantly that learning is forever.

 

Indeed, The PediaBlog has made it almost too easy for all us pediatric providers to stay current on evolving issues and maintain our competency in spite of the pressures and inherent risk of burnout in everyday practice. It has given a platform to many of us to have a voice with formal peer-review or to exercise a longing for journalism or storytelling. Perhaps some day Doctor Ketyer can have the blog certified to award continuing medical education credit!

Here’s to November 14, 2025! Achieving this 5,000 postings landmark will surpass the imposing total of 4,762 consecutive games of Ripkin and Gehrig combined! As per the Yankee great, we who read will be the luckiest people “on the face of the earth”! In this day and age of digital and informational overload, I claim that neglecting to follow our esteemed PediaBlog can, like prolonged listening to the repetitive “Bolero,” trigger insanity!

To the editor-in-chief: We are all grateful! Excelsior!

 

source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/03/16/out-of-the-old-black-bag-40/