ArcaMax

Remarkably and somewhat appallingly, pregnancy and childbirth remain more dangerous for mother and child in the United States than in any other high-income nation.

Some numbers, reported by STAT:

The U.S. maternal mortality rate is 22 deaths per 100,000 live births -- triple what some other high-income countries see. For Black women in the U.S., it's worse: 49.5 per 100,000.

Nearly two-thirds of these deaths occur after the baby is born, up to 42 days later. One in five deaths occur during pregnancy, most often caused by heart conditions like stroke.

In most high-income countries, midwives greatly outnumber OB-GYNs. Only in the U.S, Canada and Korea do these physicians outnumber midwives. Overall, the U.S. and Canada have the lowest total supply of providers (midwives and OB-GYNs), with 16 and 13 per thousand live births, respectively.

Body of Knowledge

The average duration of a single blink of the human eye is 0.3 seconds. A normal breath takes five seconds: two to inhale, three to exhale. A normal swallow takes eight to 12 seconds, from mouth to stomach. The average yawn lasts six seconds.

Get Me That, Stat!

More than 87% of physicians in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a country formerly part of Yugoslavia, are female -- the highest percentage in the world. Also in the 80th percentile: Zambia and Mongolia, according to the World Health Organization, which notes that women account for roughly 67% of the global health and social care workforce.

The percentage of female doctors in the U.S. is just 37%, reports the American Medical Association based on 2021 data, but that's up from 28% in 2007. Women do, however, comprise the bulk of the U.S. health care workforce.

Mark Your Calendar

July is awareness month for cord blood, Group N streptococcus, juvenile arthritis, cleft and craniofacial issues, sarcoma, healthy vision and UV safety. Presumably you're reading this wearing sunscreen and sunglasses.

Counts

17: Average age, in years, of first menstruation in U.S. in 1890

12.5: Average age between 1950 and 1969

12: Average age now

Source: JAMA Network Open

Stories for the Waiting Room

New archeological findings underscore the fact that ancient Egyptians possessed advanced medical skills beyond treating infections, bone breaks and tooth cavities. Two skulls unearthed -- one from a man in his thirties who could have died as early as 2687 B.C., the other a female over age 50 from at least 343 B.C. -- contained lesions consistent with cancerous tumors.

Astoundingly, they also contained cut marks, likely made by a metal instrument, around the lesions, suggesting the sufferers were undergoing surgical treatment related to their cancers.

Doc Talk

Popliteal fossa: The posterior or back of the knee, otherwise known as the knee pit where your leg bends

Mania of the Week

Enosimania: Pathological belief that one has sinned

Best Medicine

Brian was a dedicated hypochondriac. One day he bumped into his doctor at the grocery store. The physician asked him how he was doing.

"Doc, I've been meaning to tell you. Remember those voices I kept hearing in my head? I haven't heard them in over a week!"

"That's great," the doctor replied. "I'm so happy for you!"

But Brian looked skeptical.

"There's nothing wonderful about it. I'm afraid my hearing is starting to go."

Observation

"A good rule to remember for life is that when it comes to plastic surgery and sushi, never be attracted by a bargain." -- Irish comedian Graham Norton

Medical History

This week in 1997, American Airlines became the first U.S. air carrier to place automatic external defibrillators on its fleet of 700 aircraft. AEDs provide immediate coronary care to heart attack victims. The airlines trained more than 22,000 flight attendants on how to use the defibrillators.

On Feb. 18, 1998, their first passenger was saved when he collapsed on an American Airlines plane after rushing to catch a connecting flight.

In 2004, the Federal Aviation Administration required AEDs on every commercial passenger aircraft of a certain size.

Medical Myths

It's not true that fresh fruits and vegetables are always healthier than their canned, frozen or dried equivalents. Research has shown that the latter can be just as nutritious, with one caveat: Some canned, frozen and dried varieties of fruits and vegetables contain additional less-than-healthful ingredients, such as added sugars, saturated fats and sodium.

Nutritionists advise closely reviewing nutrition labels to keep those ingredients to a minimum.

Med School

Q: What percentage of your body weight is made up of blood?

A) 3%

B) 8%

C) 15%

D) 24%

A: 8%, or about 5.3 quarts.

Last Words

"My troubles are all over. And I am home." -- American author and animal rights activist Cleveland Amory (1917-1998), quoting lines from Anna Sewall's novel "Black Beauty." Amory was buried at his Texas ranch, also called Black Beauty.

========

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2024 Creators Syndicate Inc.