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AUGUST 21, 2026

AIKEN-AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER • OUR 20th YEAR

SENSESFIVE A THE SENSES: PART VI of V

s you may have noticed, each of our five articles on the senses could only scratch the surface of each one in turn. For every amazing aspect we covered, there were fifty more that we didn’t. It simply is not possible to do justice to any of the five in a 16page publication — and that’s even if we used all 16 pages.

This article isn’t going to rectify that situation (see previous sentence), but it will contain a few tasty leftovers that we couldn’t serve before.

Can’t Touch This Our series began with the sense of touch, and one thing we didn’t mention (although it’s obvious)

is that this our only sense that is everywhere. We cannot see with our left big toe, but we can feel with it. That is true of every square centimeter of the human body. In fact, speaking of toes, if a tiny half-drop of water lands on your bare big toenail (not even on the skin), touch receptors will register the event.

Something else we didn’t have room for: the astounding ability of skin to heal itself and recover from injury. Imagine the unlikely event of dropping a concrete block on your beautiful hardwood floor.

A deep gash in the wood results. But within a few days it doesn’t seem as deep. A month later you can barely see the damage, and a month after that you’re not even sure exactly where the gash was anymore.

That is all courtesy of a complex healing process

that begins within seconds of a bruise or cut, starting with vasoconstriction and coagulation to stop bleeding. That’s followed by the removal of dead and damaged cells, bacteria and debris through a process called phagocytosis, where white blood cells engulf and destroy invaders. Then new tissue starts growing, and one of the factors that ultimately helps make the wound invisible when all is said and done is that the edges of the wound are pulled together. In most cases, even with a loss of tissue, like a chunk of skin being lost in an injury, natural scaffolding and modeling (yes, those are the official terms) eventually restore the injury site to its original condition.

One more thing that we cannot leave out in the midst of this broiling summer: our pores, which number around 5 million

in the average human.

They are essential elements in keeping us cool.

Just as we shut windows in freezing weather and open them in hot summer weather (pre-AC), our pores slam shut in frigid weather to preserve the warmth we need and open wide to help dissipate body heat when it’s... well, when it’s August in Augusta.

Good taste That might look like a package of fresh ground beef (above), but it’s actually an extreme close-up of the tongue.

If taste buds had to be described in the briefest, most descriptive term, we might call them chemical sensors. Flavors like

AUGUSTARX.COM

salty, sour, and sweet are created through kitchen chemistry, after all. That helps us grasp the fact that “taste buds” can be found in the lungs, pancreas, and even the brain.

Those in the lungs scan incoming air for irritants and bacterial toxins and activate responses like bronchodilation faster than any asthma medication.

Taste receptors in the pancreas monitor glucose levels and coordinate appropriate levels on insulin secretion. Overall, they help the body maintain metabolic stability.

Receptors in the brain are not there to “taste” food as much as they are to regulate appetite, glucose use, and metabolism. They also help the brain evaluate if incoming nutrients match the body’s needs. If you have ever had an insatiable desire for salty food or an unquenchable thirst, that may be the brain’s taste receptors at work.

One last unusual aspect of human taste is that to a significant degree much Please see SENSES 5 page 8

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THE FIRST 40 YEARS ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST

• Difficulty making decisions due to overanalysis • Seeking certainty that never feels sufficient

THOUGHTS ABOUT

PARENTHOOD THOUGHTS 61

by Dr. Warren Umansky, PhD

Your child is going off to college for the first time. You want him to be successful. He was a great student in high school. He was involved in sports and music. He received good grades. But things about college students are in the news every day. You worry, but what can you do?

A. Let your child know that you expect to talk to him every day, if only to say he’s okay.

B. This is a time for your child to “grow up”. Don’t be nosy.

He’ll get in touch with you when he needs something.

C. Be sure to track him on your phone and prepare to check where he is several times every day.

D. Let your child know that sleep, healthy eating, and exercise are important parts of successful college life. Social activities are the fun part. Getting to class and keeping up with work are absolutes.

If you answered: A. Particularly the first month away from home can be extraordinarily lonely and emotionally stressful. Even brief daily conversations (not texts) can give you some insight into how your child is doing. This is important.

B. This is not the time to be an absentee parent. Your child probably will need you as much during this amazing time as any other time in his life.

C. Your child should know that you are using a tracking app for safety, not to be intrusive or because you don’t trust him. (If you don’t trust your child, he may not be ready to go off to college right now.) Don’t allow yourself to be looking at the tracker through the day. The daily phone call will bring you up to date on what he has been doing and where.

D. Helping him set priorities before he heads off to school will provide a good starting point for him. These provide your checklist for daily pleasant phone conversations when he gets to campus.

You supported his school years from the start. You helped him get up on time and get to school before the bell rang. You checked his bookbag regularly and made sure homework was done. You met with teachers and put out fires. The academic part of college may be the easiest. After all, he was accepted to college. You want him to know how proud of him you are and what great and enjoyable opportunities await him on campus. But he should be ready for the challenges: dealing with roommates, dating, alcohol, taking prescription medication as prescribed, getting to class on time, and taking classes in new areas of study. Part of your conversation before he leaves should revolve around a crisis plan. Together, you should answer the following questions: What will you do if you feel depressed? If you start having trouble sleeping? If you are not getting along with your roommate? If you feel like you are falling behind in your classes? If you are not eating well? If you can’t find time to exercise? If you are lonely? If you are not feeling well?

Keep communication open and be available at any time to talk with your child. Be a good listener and don’t give advice unless it is asked for. You want your child to start taking responsibility when he can. Ask questions like, “What would be a good thing to do now?” or “Who can you talk to on campus to help?” Be positive about his experiences and good decisions. And, be sure to take care of yourself. Your nest is a little emptier. Have someone available that you can talk to, as well.

Dr. Umansky has a child behavioral health practice in Augusta.

AUGUST 21, 2026

OBSESSIVE RUMINATION “I CAN’T SHUT MY BRAIN OFF!” Misinterpreted behaviors in clinical and legal settings

Editor’s note: Written by local mental healthcare professionals, this series explores how people may think and act when affected by common and lesser-known mental health conditions.

Behavioral Patterns • Excessive reassurance-seeking • Repeated checking or researching information • Avoiding situations that trigger intrusive thoughts • Difficulty remaining present during conversations or activities Functional Impact • Reduced work or academic performance • Sleep disturbances • Relationship strain • Difficulty enjoying hobbies or relaxing

Intrusive Thoughts vs. Intentions One of the most frightening aspects of obsessive rumination is the presence of intrusive thoughts.

These thoughts may involve: • Fear of harming someone unintentionally • Concerns about making catastrophic mistakes • Disturbing or unwanted mental images Nathan isn’t simply “overthinking.” He may be experienc• Persistent doubts about ing obsessive rumination—a repetitive pattern of intrusive relationships, health, or mothinking that traps individuals in cycles of anxiety, self-doubt, rality and mental exhaustion.

Importantly, having an intrusive thought does not What Is Obsessive Rumination? mean someone wants to act Obsessive rumination refers to persistent, repetitive thinking on it. that becomes difficult to control and serves little productive In fact, these thoughts are purpose. often distressing precisely Unlike healthy problem-solving, rumination does not lead because they conflict with the to solutions. Instead, the mind repeatedly circles the same person’s values and character. fears, questions, or memories without reaching resolution.

The individual is not dangerRumination often involves intrusive thoughts—unwanted ous—they are frightened by ideas or mental images that repeatedly enter consciousness their own thoughts. despite efforts to dismiss them. These thoughts can become The more someone tries so consuming that they interfere with concentration, relationto suppress an intrusive ships, sleep, and daily functioning. thought, the more persistent Obsessive rumination commonly occurs alongside condiit often becomes. tions such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, depression, and trauma-related disorders.

Loss of Cognitive Flexibility Cognitive flexibility is the Signs and Symptoms brain’s ability to shift perEmotional Features spectives, tolerate uncertain• Persistent anxiety or worry ty, and adapt to new informa• Feelings of dread or uncertainty tion.

• Frustration from being unable to “let things go” During obsessive rumina• Emotional exhaustion tion, this flexibility becomes restricted. Individuals may Cognitive Patterns find themselves: • Replaying conversations or events repeatedly • Needing absolute cer• Constant “what if” thinking tainty before making deci• Intrusive thoughts that feel difficult to dismiss Please see THOUGHTS page 3 Nathan is a 31-year-old accountant who spends hours replaying conversations in his head.

After a routine meeting at work, he begins wondering if he said something inappropriate. By the time he gets home, he’s mentally reviewed every sentence dozens of times.

Did his manager sound annoyed? Did his coworker think he was incompetent? Should he send an apology email?

His wife reassures him that everything is fine, but Nathan can’t let it go. As one thought fades, another appears. By bedtime, he’s no closer to an answer than he was that morning.

He knows his thoughts are excessive, but trying to stop them only seems to make them louder.

AUGUST 21, 2026

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THOUGHTS... from page 2 sions • Becoming “stuck” on one explanation despite evidence to the contrary • Having difficulty shifting attention away from distressing thoughts • Feeling mentally trapped in repetitive loops The brain mistakenly interprets uncertainty as danger, keeping the person locked in an ongoing search for reassurance or answers that can never feel complete.

X “Having disturbing

What Causes Obsessive Rumination?

Several factors may contribute, including: • Anxiety disorders • Obsessive-compulsive tendencies • Depression • Trauma or chronic stress • Perfectionism • Biological differences in brain circuits involved in threat detection and emotional regulation Rumination often begins as an attempt to solve a problem or prevent harm. Ironically, repeated mental reviewing usually strengthens anxiety instead of relieving it.

Treatment Obsessive rumination is highly treatable.

Common Misconceptions

X “They’re just overthinking.”

Obsessive rumination is far more intense than ordinary worry and can significantly impair daily functioning.

X “If they just stopped think-

ing about it, they’d feel better.”

Most individuals desperately want the thoughts to stop but find them difficult to control.

thoughts means they’re dangerous.”

Intrusive thoughts are common in anxiety and OCD. They do not predict behavior or indicate hidden desires.

X “They just need reassurance.”

While reassurance may provide temporary relief, repeated reassurance often reinforces the cycle of obsessive thinking over time.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) CBT helps individuals recognize unhelpful thinking patterns, challenge cognitive distortions, and reduce repetitive mental reviewing.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) For individuals with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, ERP gradually teaches the brain to tolerate uncertainty without engaging in compulsive reassurance or rumination.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions Mindfulness helps individuals observe intrusive thoughts without becoming entangled in them, reducing their emotional impact over time.

Medication Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other medications may reduce intrusive thoughts

and anxiety when clinically indicated.

Lifestyle Strategies • Regular sleep and exercise • Stress reduction techniques • Limiting reassurance-seeking behaviors • Developing healthy coping skills for uncertainty Prognosis With appropriate treatment, many individuals experience significant reductions in intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and mental exhaustion. Over time, they regain cognitive flexibility—the ability to acknowledge uncertainty without becoming trapped by it.

Without treatment, obsessive rumination can become increasingly disruptive, contributing to anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and reduced quality of life.

The goal of treatment is not to eliminate every unwanted thought. Instead, it is to change the relationship with those thoughts—allowing them to come and go without controlling one’s life.

Learning that thoughts are not facts is often one of the most powerful steps toward recovery.

About Us IPS provides inpatient and outpatient mental health services, with or without a referral, to help patients and their families progress through the care journey.

To make an appointment, call 706-204-1366 or visit integratedpsych.care.

Our clients are just a number.

And that number is:

ONE

GREG LEOPARD PC AT T O R N E Y AT L AW

CRIMINAL DEFENSE • FAMILY LAW • PERSONAL INJURY 461 Greene Street at 5th • www.gregleopardlaw.com • 706-724-7511

HOW DO I DONATE MY BODY TO SCIENCE? If you’re expecting this article to start with Step 1: die, we hate to disappoint you; that is not the first step. Step 1 is to thoughtfully consider this option. Body donations enhance training for tomorrow’s doctors, making it possible for them to gain valuable experience with real people.

There is only so much instruction that lectures, pictures, books, charts, and life-like models can provide. Body donations provide an indispensable tool for training, but not everyone is comfortable with the thought of being (or their loved one being) used as a classroom training device. Hence the need for the real Step 1. Think about the matter, and discuss it with family members, particularly next of kin or the person who will be responsible for promptly carrying out your wishes upon your death.

Step 2: Contact the Anatomical Donation Services Program at the Medical College of Georgia. This can be done initially using their website (http://www.augusta. edu/mcg/cba/bodydonation/). The additional information provided there will certainly help in the decision-making process. There aren’t a ton of deal-breakers, but there are a few, things like already being embalmed, dying from suicide, murder, or from a short list of highly contagious diseases. The website link has a full list.

They aren’t looking for perfect bodies. As full-fledged doctors down the road, they will be examining, treating, and sometimes operating on people who are diabetic, overweight, who smoke two packs a day, etc. Seeing those conditions and others now, as part of their training, will be invaluable to their ability to treat patients in the future.

Step 3 is vitally important: body donors must be pre-registered with the program ahead of time. Someone who wants to donate can make the arrangements anytime, in perfect health, years before they expect to die.

Those who do this are giving a gift of priceless value.

MEDICALEXAMINER AIKEN-AUGUSTA’S MOST SALUBRIOUS NEWSPAPER www.AugustaRx.com

The Medical Examiner’s mission: to provide information on topics of health and wellness of interest to general readers, to offer information to assist readers in wisely choosing options that promote better health, and to serve as a central source pf salubrious news within every part of the Augusta area’s medical community.

Direct editorial and advertising inquiries to: Daniel Pearson, Publisher & Editor Email: Dan@AugustaRx.com Augusta Medical Examiner PO Box 397, Augusta Georgia 30903-0397 (706) 284-7287 Website: www.AugustaRx.com • Email: Dan@AugustaRx.com www.Facebook.com/AugustaRx Opinions expressed by the writers herein are their own and/or their respective institutions. Neither the Augusta Medical Examiner, Pearson Graphic 365 Inc., nor its agents or employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for general informational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment, consult your doctor. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. © 2026 PEARSON GRAPHIC 365 INC.

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

#264 IN A SERIES

Who is this?

AUGUST 21, 2026

ADVENTURES IN

Middle Age

BY J.B. COLLUM

T

his was one busy man. He was a social reformer, an educator, a politician, an author, and a physician. But not just any physician. Many histories call him, Benjamin Rush, the father of medicine in America.

More about that in a moment.

Despite the many hats he wore, he still had time to be one of the Founding Fathers of America. That’s his name on the Declaration of Independence just an inch or so to the right of John Hancock’s memorable signature. Immediately below Rush’s name is the signature of a man named Benjamin Franklin.

To take nothing away from Rush’s accomplishments, he was, as are we all, a captive of the times in which he lived. He was a stalwart advocate of bloodletting for almost any complaint, a stand he maintained long after the medical community recognized its questionable value. Along with his contemporaries he was also a fan of various purgatives that are today recognized as of dubious value at best. But in one case it offered historical benefit: the only scientifically verified campsite of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was made possible by the... shall we say droppings?...of the group at what is today Montana’s Travelers’ Rest State Park. The expedition had been personally supplied with fifty dozen mercury-rich laxative tablets by Dr. Rush. Soil samples taken there and analyzed by archaeologists contained a tracer they were able to link to the mercury in Dr. Rush’s pills, which the diaries of the expedition referred to as “thunderclappers.”

Despite these and other flaws typical of his era (for the most part), Benjamin Rush was ahead of his time in many respects. He favored the abolition of slavery and coordinated a number of public health initiatives with Richard Allen, the founder (in 1794) of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church (although Rush viewed being black as a curable skin disease). He was an early advocate of public health projects, such as draining areas that were known mosquito breeding grounds. He launched the first version of GoodRx, establishing a public dispensary for low-income patients.

He worked for humane treatment of prisoners, and was such a pioneer in the treatment of mental disorders that the American Psychiatric Association recognized him in 1965 as the father of American psychiatry.

Benjamin Rush was born in 1746 near Philadelphia in what was then called British America, and received his M.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 1768. He was fluent in Italian, French, and Spanish. He died of typhus on April 19, 1813 and is buried alongside his wife Julia, who survived him by more than 35 years.

I finally got the riding lawn mower another bathroom. running again. Unfortunately, I nearly The shower presented me with an instopped running in the process. I am usteresting Catch-22. I was too exhausted to ing the term “I” loosely as you will learn put much effort into scrubbing, but I was in a moment. also too exhausted to remain standing I had been trying to diagnose the mow- long enough to scrub slowly. I therefore er for months, with no success. I consider washed myself as thoroughly and quickly myself reasonably good at troubleshootas I could. It still took too long. ing and repairing things, particularly When I stepped out and began drying when wires, circuit boards or computer off, the stars multiplied. Then darkness code are involved. When the patient in began closing in from the edges of my question contains an intervision. I knew that feeling. I Sometimes was about to go down. nal-combustion engine, however, my confidence begins Rather than waiting for laziness sputtering like an old mower gravity to make the decision with bad gas. should win for me, I carefully but quickly Eventually, I exercised the lowered myself to the floor. I seldom-used but highly effective “Phone pulled over a bathroom rug for cushiona Friend” option and called my buddy ing, but the rug was considerably smaller Chuck. Chuck actually went to school than I was. My lower body traveled first for this kind of thing and even worked class, with a little padding beneath it. as a professional mechanic for a time, so My still-wet upper body rode coach, with he has far more experience with engines only the cold floor and part of a towel for than I do. More importantly, he was comfort. I believe I blacked out briefly. willing to come over after work on a hot When I came to, I knew I needed help Wednesday evening and help me. That and probably electrolytes. I tried calling tells you considerably more about the out, but I could not produce enough kind of friend Chuck is than anything I volume. My phone was on the bathroom could write here. counter, and I made a pitiful attempt to I will spare you the mechanical delunge for it, but I probably didn’t move tails. This is Adventures in Middle Age, at all. not Mechanics Illustrated. The important Then I noticed the doorstop. It was a thing is that after more than two hours of Georgia Bulldogs totem pole, and it was troubleshooting, adjusting and disassem- within reach. I picked it up and dropped bling things, Chuck—assisted principally it against the floor three times. by my ability to hand him tools—got the Three repeated signals are widely recmower running. ognized as a call for distress. If you are At that point, I thanked Chuck and told stranded on an island, build three signal him I could put everything back together fires. If you are injured while hunting and later. What I did not tell him was why I cannot call for help, fire three shots in wanted to stop. I was feeling light-headed succession. In a safe direction, of course. and beginning to see the early warning If you are lying wet and nearly unconsigns of an approaching collapse—a phe- scious on a bathroom floor, apparently nomenon previously chronicled in this you slam a Georgia Bulldogs doorstop salubrious journal. I knew I was reaching into the tile. Nobody heard it. my limit.

This surprised me because, from my There was a time when my inherent position on the floor, I thought I was prolaziness would have stopped me long be- ducing a tremendous racket. I hit it hard fore I reached that point. Now that I am enough to break it, anyway. older and have accumulated a respectDoes breaking a Bulldogs totem pole able collection of infirmities, my physical mean the football season is now cursed? weakness is beginning to beat my laziFortunately, I do not believe in such ness to the punch. things. Still, I am gluing it back together.

Chuck wanted to finish the job, There is no reason to take unnecessary though, so I went along with it. By the chances. time we had reattached everything, I was After lying there for a while, I recovseeing stars. ered enough strength to crawl into the Once we were done, I cranked the bedroom and pull myself upright using mower, parked it beneath the shed and the bed. I staggered to the bedroom door went inside for a shower. Chuck, who and leaned into the doorway until Lorie had become just as hot and grimy while noticed me from the dinner table.

Please see ADVENTURES page 9 repairing my mower, used the shower in

AUGUST 21, 2026

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

allow us to still benefit from the spiritual program without Freyja unintentionally contributing a solo.

Restaurants are more difficult. They rarely have a convenient overflow room for families whose children have decided to provide live entertainment.

Sometimes one of us ends up eating in the car or at an outside table, even when the weather is not ideal. On especially difficult occasions, someone may have to take Freyja home along with a to-go order.

Thankfully, that is rare and hasn’t happened in quite a while.

We have yet to figure out the perfect balance. I am sure it makes no sense to Freyja that we smile and clap when she sings or The temperatures aren’t providing any laughs at home but hurry to quiet her in clues that fall is approaching. Here in the certain other places. We hope that one day South, August feels less like autumn’s war- she will understand that different places mup act and more like summer has been have different expectations. booked for another run under the name Until then, we remain grateful for the September. patience and forbearance of our friends, But there are other signs that fall is neighbors, and occasional fellow diners. closing in. Football is returning, stores are The return to school gives us another putting out Halloween decorations absurdly reason for hope. Freyja’s teachers are able early, and most significantly, the kids are to guide her within the more structured back in school. environment of a classroom.

That last one has made me “Rigid” would be far too strong Indoor voices especially happy. a word for a special-needs For most weekdays, I now classroom, where teachers and other have a quiet, reasonably neat must constantly adapt to the mysteries house in which to work. I no lonneeds of each student. Still, ger have to mute my microphone the school day is more regiduring teleconference meetings because mented than life at home, and some of that Freyja is serenading me from two rooms structure seems to influence her behavior. away. Somehow, her voice travels effortAt least until she gets home. lessly through walls, closed doors, and the When Freyja first walks through the sound barriers I have strategically placed door after school, her release from classaround my workspace. room structure is immediately evident. She It is partly my fault. We encourage Freyja launches like a tightly compressed spring to sing, laugh, and make whatever sounds suddenly set free, usually without any purshe is able to make all day long. Then, on poseful direction. certain occasions, we suddenly start shushFor a while, she bounces off the walls— ing her. and occasionally appears capable of It is completely understandable that she reaching the ceiling. Eventually, though, might find this confusing. she settles into a smaller-level earthquake, The same thing happens at worship something below a four on the Richter services and restaurants. We never know scale. The dishes may rattle, and you can when Freyja will feel the urge to sing or feel a few tremors, but nothing is likely to let out one of her wonderfully uninhibited bring down the house. laughs. It is music to us. To others, it is a I suspect that release is necessary. Freyja distraction at best and a shocking interrup- spends the school day working harder than tion at worst. we may realize to follow directions, tolerOur fellow congregation members take ate limits, and function in an environment it in stride. No one complains or makes us that does not always match the way she feel unwelcome, and I love them even more experiences the world. Home is where she for that. can finally let go.

That doesn’t mean we allow the perforThat does not make consistency any mance to continue unabated. We try the easier. We try our best to be consistent in usual methods of asking her to be quiet, circumstances that are inherently inconsisthough the concept of an “indoor voice” tent. Sing here, but not there. Laugh freely, remains more theoretical than practical. but perhaps not during the quiet part of If that fails, one of us takes her into the the meeting. Be yourself, but also learn lobby. that sharing the world with other people Usually, we can calm her enough to sometimes requires adjusting your behavreturn—or at least reduce the volume ior. to something approaching quiet. When Teaching those distinctions to any child we can’t, there is normally a spare room is difficult. Teaching them to a nonverbal equipped with a television and speaker to Please see SPECIAL FORCES page 7

Special Forces

Parenting

5 #38 IN A SERIES

Who is this?

Not everyone in healthcare can be Florence Nightingale, right? Despite the long-running series on page 4, there are clunkers in medicine, and we will examine some of them in this series. Unfortunately, there’s enough material to keep this side of the page going for a while.

T

his guy looks like he just stepped out of a low-budget 1930s crime movie, doesn’t he? But looks can be deceiving. The truth is, he stepped out of a real-life 1930s crime spree. And not just any crimes, either. It was an elaborate — and ingenious — murder for hire scheme that snuffed out more than a hundred lives.

One of the evil masterminds was the man pictured here, Dr. Morris Bolber.

The plan was simple: take out life insurance on people and then kill them.

It started when one of Dr. Bolber’s patients complained to him about her husband’s infidelity. Bolber told a friend, Paul Petrillo, about the situation, and the plot was hatched: Paul met the lonely lady and explained how he and Dr. Bolber could help her. All she had to do was take out a hefty life insurance policy on her husband and then kill him. She, Paul, and Dr. Bolber would split the $10,000 insurance payout.

And that’s exactly how it played out. Apparently the woman never realized she took all the risk and did all the work and only got a third of the proceeds. But then, Bolber and Petrillo also realized they were the geniuses behind the operation and only got two-thirds of the proceeds.

So they simplified their system. Paul Petrillo enlisted the help of his cousin Herman to impersonate people they identified as potential victims. Herman would then take out large life insurance policies on “himself,” always with a double-indemnity clause in the unlikely event of accidental death. He would use his or Paul’s real names as the beneficiaries. Invariably the newly insured men died tragic, seemingly accidental deaths just days after taking out the policies.

They were fairly clever at hiding the murders at first.

For example, they targeted a roofer, insured him, and then pushed him off the roof of an eight-story building. Petrillo’s euphemism for others who simply disappeared was that he had hired them and “sent them to California.” But others were unwisely dispatched with arsenic supplied by Bolber, not a particularly low-key way to kill someone. Suspicions were raised and eventually the Petrillos were convicted and sentenced to death. When his sentence was read, Herman tried to attack Margaret Skeen, the 42-year-old jury foreperson. Bolber and several of the wives who were complicit in their husbands murders got life sentences.

Students of the case today believe that the ways the murders were concealed suggest that murder statistics may be off by as much as half: for every 10,000 known murders, it is entirely possible that 10,000 more are successfully disguised, overlooked by investigators.

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

AUGUST 21, 2026

What is conscious sedation?

NURSENOTES

by Lucy Dianne Sharp, RN, BSN

O

ver my many years as a patient and a nurse, I have come in contact with various types of sedation administered by physicians and medical professionals. Until recently, I had never heard of conscious sedation. After some research I found that it is also sometimes called minimal sedation or moderate sedation.

By definition, it is a medication-induced depression of consciousness which relieves anxiety and discomfort while still allowing the patient

to respond normally to questions or verbal commands. It makes it easier for patients to tolerate unpleasant procedures while being partially conscious, able to breathe on their own and respond to verbal commands and physical stimulation. The medication is given through an intravenous line (IV) or by mouth depending on the type of procedure.

Conscious sedation is generally safe. It is used for minor types of surgery, biopsies, and procedures designed to diagnose and treat such as upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, and liver radioembolization, just to name a few.

Prior to your procedure, you will be asked for a detailed past history, especially as it relates to previous experiences with sedatives or anesthesia. You will provide a list of your medications including over-the-counter

supplements. Your provider will review allergies or health conditions. You may be asked to have blood or urine tests. If you are on a blood thinner medication or taking aspirin, ibuprofen, or vitamin E, you will be told to temporarily stop taking these ahead of time. Your physician will review your medications and give you instructions on any changes that may be necessary.

After you receive the sedation, your breathing will slow and your blood pressure may drop a little.

A medical professional will stay with you at all times during and after the procedure. If you need help with your breathing, you may receive oxygen through a mask. You will fall asleep or feel drowsy, but will be monitored during and after the procedure.

When underghoing any procedure that includes conscious sedation you

HAVE YOU HEARD?

HEARING ASSOCIATES OF SOUTH CAROLINA

will need to arrange for a responsible adult to drive you to and from the procedure. You should be able to go home 1 or 2 hours after your procedure. Some patients may experience nausea and vomiting associated with the anesthesia. You will be very drowsy. You should avoid driving, operating machinery, drinking alcohol or making any legal decisions for at least 24 hours.

My personal introduction to conscious sedation was interesting. I was recently diagnosed with an illness that required several tests and procedures. All of them required conscious sedation. The first procedure was a biopsy. I was given medication through an IV site. I was awake. I finally asked if I was supposed to be awake. Someone said no and gave me more medication. Meanwhile, I was privy to a discussion of where were the best places to go fishing and for what kind. The person leading the conversation was the doctor doing the biopsy. I never did lose consciousness.

My second encounter

required IV sedation. Once again, I was awake and asked if I was supposed to be. The answer was no.

Being a retired nurse, I asked if they would check the IV site. After several attempts to sedate me, they checked the IV site and it was not patent.

Another person had to be summoned to start a new IV. More medication was injected and I did relax and lose consciousness.

My third encounter required IV sedation. Once again, I was fully awake.

I asked if I was supposed to be awake. The answer again was no. This time, the IV line had a leak in it. That meant they would have to check their entire supply of IV tubing for similar defects. New tubing was acquired, I drifted off and the procedure was continued.

By the way, even at my age, I have good veins.

The veins were not the problem.

In conclusion, if you are having a procedure that requires conscious sedation, make sure the sedation is working. If you are awake and you encounter discomfort, say something.

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for about 30 seconds. Remove the veggies from the pan and set aside Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the nonstick skillet and place over medium to medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot add the tofu, and break up with a wooden spoon then allow to get lightly browned. Mix in the seasonings, and add the vegies back to the pan.

Serve with whole wheat tortillas and salsa, or serve

NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED!

Courtesy Shuttle

child with Angelman syndrome and severe autism can feel like a fool’s errand. Still, we keep trying.

We keep encouraging her voice while helping her learn when to use it. We keep taking her into the lobby, eating the occasional meal in the car, and being grateful for teachers and friends who understand. We celebrate every bit of progress, even when it is followed by a minor earthquake.

Because not trying would mean giving up. And Special Forces parents are not quitters.

th Join

Directions Place a teaspoon of oil in a nonstick skillet and once hot, add the onion, and bell pepper. Sauté the mixture over medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft approximately 2-3 minutes. Next add the garlic and tomato; sauté

SPECIAL FORCES... from page 5

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This is a delicious rendition of scrambled eggs, complete with protein, flavor and fiber!!!!

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SENSES 5... from page 1 of it is learned. For example, you might remember as a child asking your parents if you could have a sip of their beer or coffee. The beer looked so refreshing on a hot summer afternoon, bubbles rising in the golden liquid; the coffee smelled so rich and good.

After telling you no countless times, they may have relented and offered you a sip. Both were disgusting! Bitter! Bad-tasting!

What on earth is the attraction?

Grown-ups are strange!

And today, you enjoy coffee and beer (responsibly, of course) and view them both as refreshing. What changed? Over time, children learn to enjoy many foods and drinks as adults that no amount of threats or pressure could force them to sample in their younger days. Much of taste is a learned behavior that is shaped by culture and environment: there are dishes that are national favorites all over the world, including here, that people in other places think are downright bizarre.

That smell!

Here’s something we didn’t have room to bring up before: a 2014 Rockefeller University study estimated that there are some one trillion different scents detectable by human noses. A trillion!

But they added that they suspect the actual number might be far higher; for now, the conservative estimate is one trillion.

Like taste, smell is an acquired sense. Have you noticed that in some cultures an “unbathed”

scent is not only normal but is apparently considered to be attractive? Or that in France, Italy and Switzerland there are cheeses beloved by gourmet palates that smell a lot like rotting food to people in other cultures? The same cross-culture variations are true with garlic, fermented herring and fish sauces, durian fruit, and even expensive perfumes.

One of the strangest of all sensory phenomena — right up there with phantom pain — are phantom smells: detecting chemicals, smoke, burning rubber, sulfur, ammonia, coffee or other aromas when no such smells are present.

Phantom smells can arise from anxiety, PTSD, depression or immune responses (which is why phantom smells were especially common as people recovered from COVID).

Any research on our sense of smell will mention how much of this sense is predictive; that is, the brain fills in gaps from incomplete information, a process that is usually accurate. In the case of phantom smells, however, the brain misinterprets signals it receives and draws false conclusions as a result.

Sound check We all have learned enough about hearing to know that the vibrations of our eardrum in response to sound is a key part of the sending aural data to the brain. What we might not realize is how tiny the vibrations are: the eardrum vibrates less than the width of an atom. Do not adjust your Medical Examiner!

Some people might view the main role of the ears as holders for eyeglasses and earrings. They are that, but the outer ear, known as the pinna, is a sophisticated acoustic device. All those ridges, folds, and curves have been prov-

en to collect, funnel and amplify sound waves as they enter the ear canal. They also play a critical role in spacial and directional processing. As you recall, the hearing article said that when sound arrives in one ear before it arrives in the other — usually a difference of about 1/100,000th of a second ­— we know instantly the sound is coming from the direction of the early arrival side. When the pinna is missing, whether from injury, surgery or a congenital condition, hearing still works, but such people report that their hearing is “flatter,” making it much harder to distinguish if a sound is coming from left or right, above or below, or even from in front or behind.

See here!

This might come across as bizarre in the extreme, but color does not exist IRL, as the kids say, in real life. Light itself has no color. Wavelengths have no color.

Objects have no color. Red, green, yellow, blue, purple...none of them exist in the real world.

Color is literally all in our heads. Colors are 100% brain-generated interpretations of wavelength data. They are purely hallucinations, and they aren’t even constant. The same object or the same color can look completely different depending on lighting, background, or immediately adjacent colors.

To illustrate this mind-bending fact, recall that we’ve no doubt all heard that the sky isn’t really blue; air molecules scatter shorter wavelengths and the brain interprets that scattering as “blue.”

Similarly, it’s fairly common

knowledge that black and white are not colors. Instead, white is all wavelengths bouncing back to us at once and black is no wavelengths at all.

That principle applies to everything. A “red” apple only seems red because its surface reflects back light in the red part of the color spectrum and absorbs all others. The apple itself has no color.

Ditto for green peppers, bananas, oranges, and yellow Labs.

As if all of this isn’t freaky enough, consider this: human vision is incredibly narrow in terms of its ability to detect various wavelengths. The entire electromagnetic spectrum is staggeringly huge: some individual wavelengths can be thousands of miles long for a single wave. The only slice of it all that we can see is the 400700 nm range, less than 1% of the spectrum. For reference, that abbreviation “nm” stands for “nanometer,” a quicker way of saying “a billionth of a meter.” So for example, we can see something where each wavelength is 400 billionths of a meter from top to bottom.

We can’t see X-rays infrared light, ultraviolet rays, gamma rays, or microwaves, even though they are just longer or shorter versions of the wavelengths we can see.

Bees, however can see the UV spectrum; snakes have infrared vision; butterflies see a more iridescent, rainbow-like world than we do.

Since our visible world as humans allows us to see only a tiny slice of reality, it makes one wonder: what else it out there?

AUGUST 21, 2026

9

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

ADVENTURES... from page 4 “Are you okay?” she asked.

“No,” I said.

I waved her toward me and lowered myself back onto the floor.

She came running, checked on me and put on the blood-pressure cuff. My reading was approximately 90 over 53.

She brought me Gatorade and supervised while I drank four glasses—two full bottles. Eventually, my pressure rose to around 105 over 60. After supper, I went directly to bed.

By the next morning, I felt fine. Still, the episode delivered a warning that I cannot dismiss merely because the mower is finally running. I become too intent on finishing whatever I am doing. I ignore the heat, lose track of time and fail to drink enough. I was literally drinking Gatorade while working on the mower—just not enough, apparently, and not

soon enough.

In middle age, perseverance is still admirable. Refusing to recognize your physical limits is not. There is no prize for installing the final mower panel before coming inside. No medal is awarded for remaining on your feet until your body takes the decision away from you. Sometimes the intelligent thing is to leave a few bolts on the workbench, step into the air conditioning and finish tomorrow.

For most of my life, I have tried to overcome my natural laziness. It may finally be time to let it win occasionally.

J.B. Collum, the author of this column and Special Forces Parenting, is a local novelist, humorist and columnist who wants to be Mark Twain when he grows up. He may be reached at johnbcollum@gmail.com

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CRASH

AUGUST 21, 2026

CAPTION THIS PICTURE!

COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2000 than in World Wars I & II combined

I

{

{

f you played hide-and-seek out in the tial visibility challenges inherent in the great outdoors as a child, you know vehicle itself. one of the secrets to avoiding detection Here is where motion camouflage was to be perfectly still, especially if enters the equation: when a motorcythe seeker was looking in your general cle is approaching a car in a direct line direction. Great hunters, whether they — coming straight at the car, or at just are kids playing in the woods or lions the slightest angle ­— it essentially stays on the savannah, know that in exactly the same place movement means they have relative to the background. found something, so prey is The driver might first spot HIDING IN wise to be motionless. the bike just to the left of a This article is going to PLAIN SIGHT tree, a signpost, a telephone introduce what might be pole or mailbox. As the moan alien concept to many torcycle gets closer, it conreaders: hiding through tinues to be just to the left movement. of the tree, the signpost, the telephone Officially, this phenomenon is called pole and the mailbox. There is no lateral motion camouflage, and it sounds almost movement, and no change relative to science-fiction until you see how often the background because the heading is it happens in real life on real roads. And constant. In that scenario, the brain does how often you may have personally exnot register a moving object. Admittedly, perienced it. the brain’s conclusion might be based Let’s start with a general overview of on just a quick glance. But in that quick movement in traffic settings. Detecting glance the brain does not recognize motion is undoubtedly the most critimotion. Or maybe the driver looks left cal component in road safety. Simply and right two or three times, but each walking across a street requires complex time the motorcycle is still “just to the calculations our brain makes for us with- left of the same tree.” Actually, however, out a lot of effort on our part. If a car is it’s approaching at 50 mph. The driver approaching, we calculate its speed, how in far too many cases is unaware of the far away it is, and the width of the road movement and pulls out or turns right in before we decide whether it’s safe to the path of the motorcycle, perhaps only walk or not. realizing his mistake at the last second, The same calculations are at play after he has already committed, after it is when we are deciding if it’s safe to turn too late to avoid the collision. (right or left) when other vehicles are To illustrate this phenomenon in a part of the equation. Their speed and different setting, baseball outfielders distance are key factors in our decision. say the most difficult catch to make is In motion camouflage situations, the a hard-hit ball coming directly at them. brain doesn’t receive the visual cues Running off to their left or right gives it needs to recognize movement. As a them a clear view of the ball’s trajectory, result, a driver may pull out into traffic but straight on is a very difficult or turn directly into the path of another Traffic safety engineers say motion vehicle. camouflage is behind a large percentage Ok, that is science fiction, you might of car/motorcycle collisions. Drivers who be thinking. are careful and cautious and sober, yet Here are some important additional end up in these unfortunate situations details. Let’s specify that the oncoming have something in common. They often vehicle is a motorcycle. They are exsay the same thing: “I just never saw tremely vulnerable to motion camouflage them until it was too late.” situations. They are small, narrow, and That is the strange situation known as often dark colored, so there are potenmotion camouflage.

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

Naturally, our work often requires us to be outside. But:

WE ARE NEVER OUT OF DOORS

GUEST COLUMN

FITNESS WATCHES: A BLESSING OR A CURSE?

by Dr. Chuck Cadle

There was a time when my fitness watch was like a loyal Golden Retriever—simple, happy to be included, and perfectly content just tagging along on a walk. Somewhere along the software update highway, however, things went off the rails. It stopped being a “fitness tracker” and morphed into a wrist-bound parole officer with a serious superiority complex and a direct line to my insecurities.

Now, my wrist holds an invasive device that has become a glowing, passive-aggressive reminder of my own mortality. The watch is connected to an APP on my cell phone. Each morning, I take a moment to get an update on my health. This morning, I noticed a reminder that my “Fitness Age” is four years higher than it should be. Apparently, even though I feel like a fairly spry retiree, the watch insists my cardiovascular health has the mileage of a much older person. Then there’s the “Move” alert—that persistent vibration of doom that logs my afternoon sitting like a criminal offense. And that is not all: it pivots seamlessly to reminding me my weight is up two pounds from yesterday, which doesn’t exactly inspire a jog; it inspires a stress-induced carb-loading panic. I can’t look at fried chicken or French Fries anymore without mentally calculating the calorie tax, and the stress of that math just makes me think of junk food. It’s a vicious, circular misery.

And who coined the term “smart” watch? I’ve got enough years under my belt to know when I need a nap, but the watch insists on “optimizing” my time. It treats me like a medical student failing a rotation, not a seasoned adult. If this thing were actually smart, it would know that sometimes the best health choice is a recliner and a crossword puzzle. Instead, it mistakes “smart” for “prescriptive”—a digital know-it-all that has never actually tasted a glazed donut or felt the glorious downtime of a Sunday afternoon.

Is it a blessing? I guess you could say that it keeps me vaguely aware of my health. But mostly, it’s a curse of constant surveillance. Yet, here I am, charging it every night, terrified that if I take it off, I might accidentally become a sedentary blob without a device to document my slow, steady decline. Please excuse the salubrious sarcasm. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to log 2,321 more steps to reach my goal before dinner.

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

The Examiners

by Dan Pearson

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Augusta mill 5. Augusta’s “The _______” 10. 2nd son of Adam and Eve 14. Potpourri 15. Hilo greetings 16. Uber competitor 17. A version of Baal 18. Occur before something else 20. Part of a combo with feathers 21. Carry out 23. Bible coin 25. Speed abbreviation 26. Make a mistake 27. Business matters 31. Fancy word for doing nothing 35. And not 36. Guides 38. Ukraine seaport 39. Got bigger 41. Rejoice 43. Capital of Ukraine 44. Iron feature 46. A goat might have one 48. Dr. of rap 49. State of having a will 51. Young girls 53. Nurse asst.

54. Stroke abbrev.

55. Greek island 59. Like a mobile, but stationary 63. McKinley’s First Lady 64. Sure 66. Joy Luck Club author 67. Daniel Village eatery 69. Average Joe’s last name 70. Distasteful; yucky 71. Shaker contents 72. Luster 73. Mets’ former home

NUMBER BY

1

2

3

4

5

14

6

7

8

19

22

23

25 28

30 36

39

40

44

46

61

62

43 47

51

48 52

54

57

58 64

71

34

38

53

68

32

42

50

67

33

20

31

41

49

63

13

24

37

45

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12

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35

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16

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21

55

10

15

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27

9

Absolutely.

59

60

65

66

69

70

72

73

Check out our new reader contest on p. 10 Write your most appropriate, clever, or funny caption to the photo shown for a chance to win whatever cool swag we eventually decide to give away!

Email your entry to Dan@AugustaRx.com DEADLINE TO ENTER: 5:00 PM FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2026

Have fun!

1 4 5 6 E S 4 8 1 X U 2 8 A 9 1 4 M4 5 6 9 8 3 D I 1 7 2 O N 9 4 K 2 3 7 E 8 1 U R 7 6

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2026 All rights reserved.

DIRECTIONS: Every line, vertical and horizontal, and all nine 9-square boxes must each contain the numbers 1 though 9. Solution on page 14.

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2026 All rights reserved.

DOWN 1. Honshu port 2. Holly genus 3. West ____ Virus 4. Depart 5. Big event Masters Week 6. On sheltered side 7. Former weight for wool 8. Central African republic 9. Intense dislike 10. @ 11. Nearby South Carolina town 12. Test 13. Old Italian money 18. It’s in the center of an iris 19. Type of bird?

22. Nashville awards prog.

24. Floorboard sound 27. Anguish 28. Specialty 29. Liberates 30. Sen. Chambliss (David Perdue’s predecessor) 31. Religion with a billion

CAPTIONTHIS

followers 32. Glass under a microscope 33. _____-wheeler 34. Roof overhangs 37. ____ date 40. Fossil product 42. Sustained pull, as on a leg 45. Frenetically busy 47. Sofa 50. Stroke gently 52. Apply lightly, as paint 55. Children, informally 56. Notion 57. Lofty 58. Lead-in to rival or enemy 59. Identical 60. Scratch 61. Michigan or Ontario 62. New Age singer 65. Definite article 68. Type of girl Clara Bow was 70. These are dotted

QUOTATIONPUZZLE E N O V S R C T H R H N Y M E O W O U E I S E S E A T S E E G H E H

Y R S R P E V E O W E G A E H

8 3 2 4 6 5 9 2 H 4 7 T 3 1 P1 9 5 8 7 6

— Oscar Wilde

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2026 All rights reserved

DIRECTIONS: Recreate a timeless nugget of wisdom by using the letters in each vertical column to fill the boxes above them. Once any letter is used, cross it out in the lower half of the puzzle. Letters may be used only once. Black squares indicate spaces between words, and words may extend onto a second line.

Solution on page 14.

Use the letters provided at bottom to create words to solve the puzzle above. All the listed letters following #1 are the first letters of the various words; the letters following #2 are the second letters of each word, and so on. Try solving words with letter clues or numbers with minimal choices listed. A sample is shown. Solution on page 14.

’

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

E 1 2 3 4 M 1 2 3 4

O 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4

1

P .

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 S 2 3 4 5 6

7

L 1

O 2

.

1.TSTDRYYPP 2.OLEEOOHHE 3.AUSLEONOU 4.WULNRRTMP 5.SLL 6.TE 7.S

SAMPLE:

1. ILB 2. SLO 3. VI 4. NE 5. D =

V 3

E 4

I 1

S 2

B 1

L 2

I 3

N 4

D 5

by Daniel R. Pearson © 2026 All rights reserved

WORDS

Well, his last job before he started the paper was at Rug Doctor, and before that he worked So he’s legit.

Like what? for The Tub Doctor.

© 2026 Daniel Pearson All rights reserved.

The guy who publishes the He does. He’s Examiner, does he a friend of have any medical mine, so I know. training?

AUGUST 21, 2026

9 7 1 6 5 8 4 2 3

1 5 9 8 6 4 7 3 2

4 6 3 1 2 7 5 9 8

2 8 7 3 9 5 6 4 1

AUGUST 21, 2026

13

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THEBESTMEDICINE ha... ha...

K

nock knock.

Who’s there?

HIPAA. HIPAA who?

Sorry, I can’t tell you.

Moe: Do you know what kind of shoes plumbers wear?

Joe: Clogs.

Moe: What about thieves?

Joe: Sneakers.

Moe: What do seamstresses wear?

Joe: They wear dress shoes.

Moe: Is there a certain kind of shoe that killers wear?

Joe: Stilettos.

Moe: What about trombone players?

Joe: They wear slides.

Moe: What do influencers wear?

Joe: Platforms.

Moe: What about artists?

Joe: They wear Skechers.

Moe: I suppose lazy people wear loafers?

Joe: No, no, bakers do. Lazy people?

Nothing. They’re still in bed.

Moe: Well, what about liars?

Joe: Crocs.

Moe: Serious question: what shoes do flight surgeons wear?

Joe: Serious answer: high heals.

Moe: What about cheapskates?

Joe: They wear cheap skates.

Moe: What do missle technicians wear?

Joe: Nikes.

Moe: What do firefighters wear?

Joe: Pumps.

Moe: What about politicians?

Joe: Politicians wear flip-flops.

Moe: Interesting...what about kidnappers?

Joe: White Vans.

Moe: What do professional dogwalkers wear?

Joe: Step-Ins. Moe: If a foot could join an orchestra, I wonder what instrument would it play.

Joe: Probably the shoehorn.

Moe: What is the most commonly used pencil?

Joe: I’m pretty sure it’s the #2.

Moe: Then why is it still #2?

Moe: Back in the day I was almost the top high jumper in the world.

Joe: What stopped you?

Moe: Gravity.

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Staring at my phone all day has certainly had no effect on ME!

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The

Advice Doctor

©

Dear Advice Doctor, I was recently dumped by my girlfriend of three years. What makes it especially painful is that I was planning to propose to her the very next day. I had the ring and everything. The way she broke it off made it seem absolutely final, but I’m finding that to be very hard to believe or accept. I’m debating whether to just lick my wounds and move on, or try to fight for her affection and show her how much she means to me. What do you think?

— Love Hurts Dear Love, I feel your pain, and hopefully I can offer you some advice that, if it doesn’t make things better, at least it won’t make things any worse.

To start off, I understand where you’re coming from: licking a wound is a common instinctive response. Somebody gets a tiny cut on their finger and the first thing they do is stick their finger in their mouth, whether child or adult. It happens.

And we have all seen a dog or a cat licking a wounded paw, from which we might draw the conclusion that nature itself teaches us that this is a beneficial response.

There is also strong historical precedent for wound licking.

An old French proverb, “Langue de chien, langue de médecin,” means “A dog’s tongue is a doctor’s tongue.” It was Treatment 101 in ancient Greece, where dogs at the shrine of Aesculapius were trained to lick the wounds of patients.

But we have made a few forward steps since then. Medical literature contains more than a few horror stories related to wound licking. Here are just a few: The New England Journal of Medicine related a 2002 case where a man came to the ER after cutting his thumb in a bicycle accident. Three days later he was back with a high fever, raging infection, and a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis. The thumb was amputated. He reported he had been licking the wound. In another journal report, a man died from sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis after a wound was licked by his dog, and a blood donor whose cat licked her chapped fingers passed a Pasteurella infection to a 74-year-old transfusion recipient.

Oral bacteria can be beneficial in the mouth. That’s one reason why oral wounds often heal faster than other sites. But they don’t transition well to other locations. In fact, even pets doing the deed is not always a great idea, which is precisely why veterinarians prescribe the cone of shame (official name: Elizabethan collar) for dogs and cats: to prevent them from licking their wounds.

It is true that human saliva contains healing compounds, but their benefit does not outweigh the risk of infection.

I hope this answers your question. Thanks for writing.

Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about health, life, love, personal relationships, career, raising children, or any other important topic? Send it to News@AugustaRx.com. Replies will be provided only in the Examiner.

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When you think about it, the Monopoly game instructions, “Do Not Pass Go,” are kind of counterintuitive.

Logically, “Do Not Pass Stop” makes a lot more sense, doesn’t it? It’s a clear and automatically understandable direction that anyone should understand in any setting. Or so you would think.

The exception seems to be when a school bus is involved. Whenever a bus stops to pick up or drop off passengers, dozens of red and yellow flashing lights are activated, including a brightly illuminated STOP sign that

extends out from the side of the bus.

It’s all impossible to miss, plus the vehicle itself is the size of, well, a bus.

How does someone not see all of that?

Talk to local bus drivers (as we did) and they will tell you that cars passing their stopped buses with all warning lights activated is a regular occurence. “Every week there are at least one or two incidents on my bus alone,” said one Columbia County bus driver. “How do they not notice a school bus?”

It’s not just a CSRA problem. Poke around a little on places like YouTube

AUGUST 21, 2026

and you can find dozens of videos from all over the country featuring school and/or law enforcement officials discussing the problem and begging drivers to drive safely and obey the laws protecting kids.

The beauty of the school bus safety law is its simplicity. Stop means stop.

Period. It applies to all traffic in both directions, even on a wide road like Mike Padgett Highway or Columbia Road. If you stop on the other side of the road, five lanes away from the bus, expect other drivers to honk at you or pass you. They don’t know

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the law. You do. Stay the course.

You’re doing the right thing. (The only exception for not stopping in oncoming lanes is on divided roads with a median or other physical barrier between opposing lanes of traffic.)

Drive around a stopped school bus and several things can happen, none of them good. Georgia law makes illegally passing a stopped bus a high and aggravated misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $1,000 and up to a year in jail. And it could be even worse than that — much worse.

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