NEW AWARD from RANCHO SUDIEGIRL!!!

Yes, the good folks at Rancho Sudiegirl...makers of "Sarcasm On A Stick"...have designed a new award. Remember Rancho Sudiegirl's motto - "Put Down That Meat Cleaver!"

The "Blinded Me With Science" Award honors those in the sciences whose discoveries may seem important, but maybe not as useful for the greater good as one might think.

Today's recipient: Dr. Pedro Luis Fernandez, a pathologist at the University of Barcelona (Spain).

Reason: He discovered that, based on a 450 year old piece of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's pinkie finger, that the man had gout.

Article quotes (which can be read by clicking on the title of this post):

1. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, whose empire stretched across Europe and included Spanish America, was diagnosed with gout by his doctors in early adulthood. By the end of his reign in 1556, he was a crippled man who could barely walk at times or ride a horse, said Dr. Pedro Luis Fernandez, a pathologist at the University of Barcelona.

2. Dr. Howard Markel, director of the University of Michigan's Center for the History of Medicine, said lab tests on preserved body parts are providing valuable information. "What used to be almost the doctors' equivalent of a parlor game — Did Lincoln have Marfan's disease? Or did Nero have lead poisoning? — has actually become a rather unique tool in the exploration of the history of medicine and the history of disease," Markel said. "I think this is a perfect example of that."

Judge's comments: Uh - why is this necessary? It's interesting information, but what's the good in knowing it NOW? I mean, what are we going to do - bring this guy back to life, go back to his reign, put him on the South Beach Diet, and then he'll kick everyone's butt once he loses weight? Apparently these doctors never took the time to watch "Quantum Leap" or any of the "Back to the Future" films - you don't screw with the past. It messes up the whole enchilada., folks.

So to these doctors, I say, they have truly "Blinded Me with Science"!