Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
diseases or the patient's?” A Chairman of a Department of Surgery who trained with DeBakey
told me over dinner one night that DeBakey one day turned to him and said “Son, if we were to
do and EEG on you, it would have to be in time lapse.” For several years DeBakey supported
my research. All I needed to do was report to him on a Saturday morning what I had done,
what I was doing, and what the next step would be, he would provide the funds, and then I
went ahead with it. For a young surgeon establishing his academic career this was outstanding
support for which I have always been grateful. Shortly before he died at the age of 99 years he
was still mentally very sharp, remembered my research and asked incisive question about it,
and gave a 20 minutes off the cuff speech that had everybody enthralled. Indeed, most of the
audience had never heard what he shared about aortic dissection. Ironically he was recovering
from aortic dissection - it is strange how doctors often suffer from the disease they specialize
in. In my estimation, DeBakey's greatest achievements were not those of carotid surgery or
aortic surgery or the roller heart pump, but in helping Presidents Kennedy and Johnston setup
Medicare, and also promoting the Library of Congress. That had a greater and most lasting
contribution to health care for all elderly patients than doing individual life saving operations,
which clearly was also important. The challenge going forward will be the cost of Medicare
and Medicaid that now account for some 25% of the Federal budget and is predicted to
increase over time. The problem is that this healthcare coverage has been promised to future
generations yet over the next few decades the short fall in funding is said to may be even up to
$35 trillion. Also, 10% of enrollees cost two thirds of the expense. From the age of 65 years to
80, the average expenditure is $2.5 billion a year for each yearly age subgroup. While often
criticized for the cost, it is worthwhile pointing out that after age of 65 years, Americans have
the highest survival rate for any elderly in the world.
Finding Food, Disease, Conservation of Energy, Territorial Imperatives, Economics and
Healthcare:
While some have argued that hunter-gatherers ran the risk of being prey to predators, the San
Bushmen, and the pastoralist Masai for that matter, have never been particularly fearful of
lions. This is true during daylight because after dark everybody fears lions. Fire and poison
were there defenses and young boys wondering between clans at night would be taken by lions.
Poisons, particularly for arrows, were made from the grub larvae of Diamphida beetles
(“N'gwa” pupae according to Livingstone) that feed on Commiphora africana shrubs (Hairy
Corkwood), a plant with high sulfur content, also used by the Nguni for making black powder
for muskets. The African thorny arid Bushveld is defined by trees like the Hairy Corkwood,
Aloe martholii, Marula, Ficus sycamores (sycamore Fig), black monkey orange (Strychnos),
Combretum bushwillow (with four winged fruits and includes Leadwood tree), apple leaf tree
(also known a the rain tree from the froghopper insect, Ptyelus grossus, sucking sugar out of the
sap and then excreting the liquid), Sausage tree (Kigelia Africana, that rhino are needed for
seed processing), wild teak (kiaat, Pterocarpus angolensis, with a fruit that look like a potato
chip with a hairy center), Natal mahogany (Trichilia emetica), sickle bush, Albizia false thorn,
and particularly Acacia nigrescens (Knob Thorn) and tortilis (Umbrella Thorn). This dry hot
arid Bushveld shrub and tree distribution of some 400 tree species covers the Lebombo Plain,
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