Medicine, Music, & Musings
Tag: vol01
Which is the "correct" term: Alzheimer's disease, Alzheimer disease? Should the eponym be replaced entirely? According to the Wikipedia article on medical eponyms, "medical eponyms are terms used in medicine which are named after people (and occasionally places or things). In 1975, the Canadian National Institutes of Health held a conference that discussed the naming … Continue reading 01(32): Should we abandon medical eponyms?
In a previous blog post, 01(15), I discussed my musical journey from its very beginning. I highly recommend that you read it if you want an exposition on my musical journey. That blog post is a must-read if you are a frequent visitor to my blog! In this post, I would like to expound on … Continue reading 01(31): How I chose the pieces for my piano exam, and what I could have done differently
What comes to your mind when you think of people swimming in warm freshwater lakes and rivers? For me, this thought conjures pleasant images of people relaxing in these water bodies. Some might even relax in natural hot springs. Usually, all is well and people are just enjoying their time away from work: the rat … Continue reading 01(30): Think twice before swimming in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, and hot springs overseas?
Yesterday, I was watching a video where the teacher had asked his students a question. He had just discussed how penicillins and cephalosporins can be used against certain bacteria, right after talking about Mycoplasma. The teacher then asked the class: "Which is Mycoplasma more sensitive to: penicillins or cephalosporins?" One student raised his hand and … Continue reading 01(29): What do beta-lactams and perhaps the smallest known living organism have in common?
NOTE: To make this blog post more educational, I have decided to come up with some questions throughout this blog post which you can contemplate to reinforce your understanding. My suggested answers can be found at the bottom of the post, just above the references. Feel free to give me feedback so that I can … Continue reading 01(28): Blood types, and converting type A to type O blood with two gut bacterial enzymes
"Hey bro, do you have this thing called G6PD? What is this G6PD?" What do the title and the preceding sentence have in common? These are perhaps the words of full-time national servicemen, both 30 years ago and now respectively, to their fellow soldiers as they are left perplexed by the medical questionnaires they are … Continue reading 01(27): Eh blarder, u god g6pd anot. dis g6pd si simi?
The world's tiniest motor, ATP synthase, or F1FO-ATPase, stands at about 20 nm in height and 10 nm in diameter. Look at the above artist's impression of ATP synthase. What a beautiful image. This protein complex is something that many biology, biochemistry, health sciences students are required to learn about. Today, I wish to talk … Continue reading 01(26): The world’s smallest motor
Ask any kid what he thinks of when he comes across the word "scientist". It is not surprising to hear scientists being described as weird, introverted, bespectacled old men with grey hair in white lab coats who do crazy stuff involving explosive chemical reactions in the laboratory. This stereotypical portrayal is perpetuated by the abundance … Continue reading 01(25): The fascinating story of Helicobacter pylori
The handspan, or simply "span", can be defined as the distance between the tip of one's thumb and one's pinky of the same hand. Understandably, a pianist is going to have a headache if his hand is not able to accommodate a particular series of notes as dictated on the sheet music. The hands are … Continue reading 01(24): Winning the genetic lottery for handspans as a pianist isn’t enough
One of my modules this semester is titled "Communication for Improved Patient Care". Yesterday, we had a lecture from 1-2pm, followed by a workshop from 2-4pm. The theme for this week was "Creating the right therapeutic environment". When delving into the realm of medical ethics and the nature of the relationship between doctor and patient, … Continue reading 01(23): The over-emphasis of patient autonomy under the guise of patient-centred care
“Don’t forget to complete questions 3 to 7a. We shall be going through them on Thursday! Remember this, I can’t help you if you choose not to help yourself. So please, be true to yourself!” reminded Mr Toh, our Physics teacher. As the school bell sounded like it always did on the hour, my classmates … Continue reading 01(22): I finally met you
My Primary One English teacher was addressed by us students as Mdm Siti. In secondary school, I had a Chemistry teacher who wished to be addressed as Ms Ngo. Then, when I was in Primary Four, I had a teacher who was to be addressed as Mrs Loh. On the other hand, addressing my male … Continue reading 01(21): Ms, Miss, Mrs, and Madam. What’s the difference?
One of my topics this semester is Pathophysiology. According to the topic co-ordinator, the "purpose of this topic is to introduce you to the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system with a special interest in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) & ECG Interpretation. The cardiovascular system is an integral part of every patients' [sic] presentation and understanding … Continue reading 01(20): The irony of the innominate artery, and other things
Have you ever wondered how the digits and letters within your NRIC relate to one another? The most recent news shrouding the NRIC concerns the nature of its collection, use, and disclosure. According to a Straits Times article published last August, it will be illegal for organisations to collect, use, or disclose NRIC numbers or … Continue reading 01(19): How to determine the last NRIC letter from the starting letter, and digits
Excuse the pun. I just had to do it. In Singapore, we drive on the left side of the road. As such, people use the right lanes for overtaking, and so, it is natural for expressway exits to branch out from the left-most lane on the highway, so that cars on the right lanes can … Continue reading 01(18): The last right-side expressway exit left in Singapore
What image is conjured in your mind when you encounter the word "Latin"? You would probably think of a bunch of old priests in parishes chanting in an esoteric language, and indeed - you would be right. As I type this, I am reminded of James Joyce's phenomenal encyclopaedic novel, Ulysses. I shall first talk … Continue reading 01(17): Joyce’s Ulysses, and the legacy of Latin
As I hopped on to my computer to conduct a search on Google this morning, I noticed that today's doodle featured lanterns. Did you notice that there is a pig in lieu of what would be the second letter 'o'? Hahaha. In Singapore, people are busy with their work and school and oftentimes, if there … Continue reading 01(16): Lantern Festival – the Chinese Valentine’s Day
I can still remember exactly how I started learning the piano. My family had paid a visit to Plaza Singapura and as a boy at the tender age of six, I marvelled at the majesty of the grand pianos that were showcased at one of the top levels of the mall. For those who are … Continue reading 01(15): How I started tickling the ivories, quit, then rekindled my love for music
'His Robes For Mine' is a hymn consisting of text by Chris Anderson and tune by Greg Habegger. I first heard of this hymn at the conclusion of my church's youth fellowship camp last December. This hymn was used as the background music of the church camp's montage. The montage was shown at the end … Continue reading 01(14): What I learnt from ‘His Robes For Mine’
On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, my family paid my maternal grandparents a visit. In the living room of their residence sat an upright, and it was the piano with which I had grown up. In fact, my earliest videos on my Youtube channel feature that Christofori upright. That … Continue reading 01(13): Why grands are generally better than uprights
I used to wonder why the train ride between Caldecott (CC17) and Botanic Gardens (CC19) was unusually long (5-min) while taking the train home from school. I looked at the MRT network map and then realised that there was a skip from CC17 to CC19! Usually, train rides are 2-3 minutes. Sometimes, they can be … Continue reading 01(12): Why isn’t there a CC18 on the Circle Line?
People in their early twenties will remember Disney's High School Musical series. The first of the existing HSM trilogy was released on 20 January 2006 as a Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM). It has been the most successful DCOM yet. Songs from its soundtrack such as 'Breaking Free' and 'We're All In This Together' became … Continue reading 01(11): How this song’s title (‘Everyday’) left me bemused for a long time
As a child, I visited my grandmother weekly and one thing that caught my attention was a calendar with which I was not familiar. Compared to the calendar I was accustomed to, this one had more 'annotations' and peculiar symbols. It looked something like this: This calendar has many names; it is known as the … Continue reading 01(10): Making sense of the Chinese calendar
The tenth and twelfth month in our calendar are October and December respectively. Yet, the prefixes of these months suggest otherwise. Has this ever puzzled you? The prefixes 'oct-' and 'dec-' come derive from Greek and they mean eight and ten respectively. With the prefix 'oct-', you have words such as 'octagon' (an eight-sided polygon), … Continue reading 01(09): On months and seasons
We deal with them all the time. 'Arrghh, I hate Mondays; Monday blues!' is something that is commonly heard. 'Let's have lunch on Saturday'. 'I have dinner with my family on Sunday'. 'I have a dental appointment on Wednesday'. These sentences are not unusual, and we do not give the days' names a second thought … Continue reading 01(08): Days of the week
I first heard the hymn during a church service a few months ago. It was the closing hymn for the service, and I could not help but feel how apt the hymn is as a choice for the closing hymn. Its melody is truly grand and majestic. Do you remember my post regarding the hymn … Continue reading 01(07): Story behind the hymn ‘Living For Jesus’
The three words describe the same thing - holiness. The first is self-explanatory as it is the most familiar to us. The second is more interesting. Where have you seen this word before? Most people would simply note in glee, 'Halloween!', and they would be right. According to the etymology as established on Wiktionary, the … Continue reading 01(06): Holy, Hallow, Sanctus
'Great is Thy Faithfulness' is one of the most recognisable hymns of all time. Its author and musician are Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960) and William M. Runyan (1870-1957) respectively. It is so popular that it is still sung even in most contemporary and liberal churches which have abandoned the traditional singing on hymns. This endearing … Continue reading 01(05): The story behind the hymn ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’
Last September, my pastor gave a sermon entitled 'Jesus led to Golgotha'. One learning point I had from that sermon was the meanings and etymologies of the words 'Golgotha' and 'Calvary'. The word 'Golgotha' means 'skull' in Aramaic, one of the two languages of the Old Testament. Golgotha is also known as Calvary, which is … Continue reading 01(04): Calvary or cavalry?
While learning about watches, I chanced upon the fancy feature of ‘perpetual calendars’. However, before talking about perpetual calendars in watches, I should also discuss annual calendars in watches and watches without either feature. In mechanical/automatic watches without either the annual or perpetual calendar feature, there is a date wheel that adjusts every 24 hours … Continue reading 01(03): Do leap years always occur every four years?
This is something I never noticed until I chanced upon an online article discussing this issue. Upon reading this, my eyes were immediately set upon the dial of my Longines. Indeed, 'IIII' is used instead of 'IV'. I continued reading the article and found it to be intriguing. The link to the article I read … Continue reading 01(02): Why do most timepieces with Roman numerals use ‘IIII’ instead of ‘IV’?
I remember a time when it was trendy to start your own blog on the domain 'blogspot.com'. All my peers in primary school were doing it. More than a decade later, things have changed indeed. At least among the people I know, few, are active bloggers. People establish and maintain blogs for a myriad of … Continue reading 01(01): Blogogenesis
Nicholas Loh 