Introductions are in order

A new blog. Why?
Does the blogsphere need another medical rant?
Do I have anything new and novel to contribute?
Maybe, just maybe. As a pediatrician, I like to teach. I teach parents not to panic about fever. I teach my staff to recognize what's serious and what's not (or what's snot?). And I have been known to teach medical students, Rotary Club meetings, fellow members of the American Academy of Pediatrics, etc. etc. etc. A blog is another way to teach, to the general public. Share some insights into this mysterious practice known as medicine. Let people know why we do what we do, why we don't do some of the things we don't, and just what's involved.
I don't claim to be a guru. I don't claim to be the smartest or the most eloquent blogger out there, let alone the smartest or most eloquent doctor. But I sometimes get philosophical about what I do. I think that's a good thing. I also have an angle: as a pediatrician on the Gulf Coast, I'm bearing witness to Hurricane Katrina and its recovery. Some of you may have "Katrina fatigue", in which case, skip my Katrina-related posts (or the entire blog if you want; we're all anonymous on the web anyway, I won't be offended). As much as Katrina has been in the news, the health care situation here has been largely ignored. I'm not seeing it on CNN; I'm not hearing about it on NPR; I'm not seeing it on other people's blogs; and only rarely will I read something in the New York Times. (Ah, I've just laid forth my liberal media-based bias; you now know I follow NPR and the NY Times! Conservatives beware!)
Maybe, just maybe, I can let others know what is happening here. And maybe awareness will lead to action. Because, to be quite blunt, there is no action happening. The health care situation on the Gulf Coast has been neglected even before the DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Teams) left. But more on that at a later date.
And maybe, just maybe, I can entertain you, enlighten you, make you think about things. Heck, maybe you can do the same for me in return.
Enough narcissistic rambling. This isn't a great American novel. It's just a blog. Enjoy, bookmark, and come back often.