The Horror of “Lead Lung Disease”

February 17th, 2008

Filed under: Comics, Medicine

cover, Nurse Betsy Crane #17

Looks like a pretty normal x-ray of the rib cage to me — nothing dangerous about that. Except that it doesn’t show the lungs at all, so either it’s horribly under-exposed, or else the patient has the dreaded Lead Lung Disease. That must be it — and it all makes sense now.

(Or the doctor is incompetent, or he is lying to Nurse Crane because he wants her all for himself)

6 Responses to “ The Horror of “Lead Lung Disease” ”

  1. Sallyp
    February 18th, 2008 at 9:58 am

    Well, judging from the insert on the cover, I would say, it is the latter.

  2. Keith
    February 18th, 2008 at 10:04 am

    I personally have never understood the point of comics that don’t feature muscle-bound underwear perverts fist-fighting…what’s the attraction?

  3. Mr. B
    February 18th, 2008 at 12:03 pm

    Just found your site. I’ve now got it bookmarked.

  4. ScienceGiant
    February 18th, 2008 at 12:17 pm

    Whoa, WHOA! That’s a “normal” x-ray? Scott, how do you know when ribs are floating? And it looks like the 6&7 and 9&10 ribs are fused, or something…

  5. Scott
    February 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
    Official Comment

    The bottom ribs are fused (actually held together with cartilage). The “floating ribs” are the ones beneath those that aren’t attached to anything in the front. Here’s a previous look at the rib cage (with pictures).

  6. ScienceGiant
    February 18th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

    Huh. Thanks, Scott. I feel oddly mislead by all those skeleton depictions, like here
    http://www.signals.com/signals/Item_Magnetic-Organs-Magnetic-Skeleton_AW8482G_ps_srm.html

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