Doctor Strange — The Oath #1: A Medical Review
Dr. Strange: The Oath #1
Brian K. Vaughan, writer
Marcos Martin, artist
An excellent start to the series. I thought the story was compelling and the art quite clean. Overall, the medical scenes were well done, but I do have a few nit-picks and observations. I’m certain there are some minor spoilers in here, so be warned if you haven’t read the comic yet. (For non-medical thoughts on the issue, check out the omniscient Neilalien)
1. The hamstring (”hammy”) is located at the back of the knee and thigh. So why is Iron Fist icing the front of his knee?
2. Strange has a B+ blood type and Wong O-. Interesting. Asians have the lowest prevalence of the O gene, though it’s still common.
3. A close look at page #11 (annotated image to the right, or just click on the image for a larger version)
A. Night Nurse isn’t wearing eye protection.
B. She sure is messy. Not a complaint or a nitpick, just an observation.
C. If the wound is on the left, it would make more sense for her to be standing on the left side of the patient so she wouldn’t have to reach across, but I’ll chalk this up to personal style.
The side table does seem a little out of reach.
I think the black tube going into the wound is suction.
D. This line is the EKG. This particular one is showing an injury current with an abnormal ST segment. The bullet must be close to — or in — the heart.
E. This line usually shows arterial pulsations, so it should be in sync with the heartbeat.
F. This line shows respirations and looks normal.
G. I have no idea what this machine is supposed to be. Either a suction receptacle or bellows, I suspect.
H. You’ll notice that that good doctor is not intubated. This means he is strong enough to breathe on his own.
4. Blood transfusions use gravity. Since Wong is donating blood, the bag should be beneath him, not above him. Blood won’t flow uphill.
5. Timelozar. Not a real drug which means it can do whatever Vaughan says it can.
6. If radiation won’t have any effect on the tumor, this suggests that the cancer has spread beyond the brain.
7. The Hippocratic Oath. Dr. Strange’s end of the line (“..and I will do so at any cost”) is not one I’m familiar with. The more common end of the line is “…and never do harm to anyone.”
8. Dr. Strange is still a licensed caregiver? I assume this means he still holds his medical license. Keeping a medical license generally means you have to stay in good standing with the law and the state medical board, meet your annual education objectives (about 20-50 hours of continuing education per year, depending on the state), and pay a (often hefty) fee. Certainly nothing Dr. Strange couldn’t do.
October 11th, 2006 at 10:37 am
Keeping a medical license generally means you have to stay in good standing with the law and the state medical board, meet your annual education objectives (about 20-50 hours of continuing education per year, depending on the state), and pay a (often hefty) fee. Certainly nothing Dr. Strange couldn’t do.
Especially since he’s been rather…idle of late at Marvel.
October 11th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
I can just see Strange in front of the licensing review board:
“I believe these are the credentials you are looking for.” Hands over blank pages while making the Ben Kenobi Jedi Hand Wave (TM).
“Yes. Those are the credentials we are looking for.” Rubberstamp.
And now I have to try and find a copy. Any comic that can reasonably use the line “Florence Nightengale Fetish” deserves support.
On the medical side, obviously they took off the cape for the same reason they took off the shirt. And they didn’t take off the pants for many reasons. But is there any reason not to take off the gloves? I mean, it is an emergency and time is involved, but it just seems wrong not to have access to a patients hands, and wrists.
October 11th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
I remember wondering what you woud have to say about the book. Glad you posted something. Always a good read.
October 11th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
They left his gloves on because they’re like surgical gloves and his hands are sterile.
uh… mystically sterile-cleansing gloves.
STERILE!!
~P~
P-TOR
October 11th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Oh, for…
I had a “joke” ending to that post, but I put it in “greater than / less than” brackets.
It must have thought it was a “tag” and deleted it.
hahaha.
Anyway… NOW that it’s not FUNNY anymore… I’ll do it again.
… STERILE!!
( runs out screaming )
Hmm… y’know. It probably wasn’t all that funny to BEGIN with.
crap.
~P~
P-TOR
October 11th, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Iron Fist actually just likes to keep his knees cool. Seriously, he talks about it for about six pages in PM&IF #57.
October 12th, 2006 at 12:03 am
I really truly like the site, I promise, but I was wondering how it’s expected that a comic book artist could get everything right in a scene such as this? At least with an author, they can read a description and include words that give the impression of accuracy, and a television show hypothetically has a budget for..I don’t know…consultants…but how would an artist access the resources to really know how to depict these medical procedures? I know there’s medical reference for body innards and maybe the operating instruments, but the set-up and layout for the treatment of a specific problem sounds like an overwhelming task, and makes me glad not to be in their shoes.
October 12th, 2006 at 7:24 am
Official Comment
Some of my observations/complaints are certainly nit-picks, and are usually identified as such. I can understand how those can slip through, but with a good library and various sites on the internet (including this one), most of these can be avoided. Artists use references all the time for other things, why not for medical equipment and scenes?
October 12th, 2006 at 11:50 pm
The answer all questions and nit-picks:
“A wizard did it.”
Sorry, it had to be said
October 12th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
The answer ‘to’ all questions and nit-picks, that is.
October 13th, 2006 at 11:18 am
Fair enough. Perhaps I just lack the natural verve and can-do-it-ness that would inspire the sort of research it would take to sort everythign out when a writer says something along the lines of “Okay, he’s getting an operation for a herniated disc in this next scene.”
October 14th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
“but how would an artist access the resources to really know how to depict these medical procedures?”
I bet that most ER personnel would be *thrilled* to help out with advice, for free.
October 17th, 2006 at 10:55 pm
I think the change at the end of the hippocratic oath is intentional. Dr Strange is ammending it to fit within his personal code of ethics (Not exactly normal, but this guy is the Sorceror Supreme, sorry, make that Sorceror Supreme MD).
Leave a Reply
Contact Me
About
Subscribe:
The Best Of...
Special Topics
Archives
Categories
Twitter
Comic Blogs
Medical Blogs
Currently Reading
Arbitrarily Interesting Medical Condition
Syndrome
The Net:
Contents may have settled during shipping. Past results are no guarantee of future performance. No animals were harmed during the production of this product. Void where prohibited by law. All rights reserved. Not valid with other offers or specials. Professional driver on a closed track. Your financial institution may impose other fees. All models are over 18 years of age. Employees must wash hands before returning to work. Results not typical. Many suitcases look alike. 18% gratuity added to tables of six or more.
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.
© 2004-2009 Polite Dissent. Powered by WordPress