file.newsgroup.med.59000 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: How about a crash program in basic immunological research?
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Ken Mitchum) writes:
> As a physician, I almost never get sick: usually, when something horrendous
> is going around, I either don't get it at all or get a very mild case.
> When I do get really sick, it is always something unusual.
>
> This was not the situation when I was in medical school, particularly on
> pediatrics.... Pediatrics for me was three solid
> months of illness, and I had a temp of 104 when I took the final exam!
>
> I think what happens is that during training, and beyond, we are constantly
> exposed to new things, and we have the usual reactions to them, so that later
> on, when challenged with something, it is more likely a re-exposure for us,
> so we deal with it well and get a mild illness.
This is also commonly seen in new teachers. The first few years, they're
sick a lot, but gradually seem to build up immunities to almost everything
common. Come to think of it, I was about my healthiest when I was
working in a pathogens lab, exposed to who-knows-what all the time. Pre-OSHA,
of course.
Kay Klier Biology Dept UNI