"I Won't Spoil The Ending" - January 15, 2021

A place to discuss the weekly Wall Street Journal Crossword Puzzle Contest, starting every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please do not post any answers or hints before the contest deadline which is midnight Sunday Eastern time.
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DrTom
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#401

Post by DrTom »

LadyBird wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:54 pm
hcbirker wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 7:45 pm
DrTom wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:17 pm

Well the history of “medical maggots” goes back even further than that. During the Civil War many rebel troops were sent to the prison in Elmira, NY. They had bad wounds of course and since they were the “enemy” and there were no Geneva conventions, they were left in their cells to rot while flies covered their festering wounds. At the same time, Union Soldiers were being treated for battle wounds and losing arms and legs to infection. It was only when they shooed the flies from the wounds of the confederates that they saw clean, healing wounds. Turns out that not only do the maggots eat ONLY the dead skin, but their secretions appear to have some stimulatory effect on healing and their movement also seems to assist in blood flow to the areas. I can hear Mother Nature snickering loudly…..

Oh, and flies in wounds....I am sure that any of the health care people on this forum can tell you that is probably one of the lesser gag reflex things they have seen. Humans are pretty, but not when they are broken.
Sounds like maggots are like Condors and Vultures. They are immune to the bacteria they ingest. Their stomach acids are incredibly strong.
Pigeons are often called "rats with wings". So, perhaps, vultures and condors are "maggots with wings". Although maggots eventually get their wings when they become flies. Or is it when a bell rings?
Since they seem to flock to wounds we can only assume they are enjoying themselves, I believe that gave rise to the famous saying, "flies' times when they are having fun"
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
Dplass
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#402

Post by Dplass »

Plymouthrock wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:17 am The swim of shame. Back to boat for me. Did anyone else submit Bambi? I thought answer would end in “I” then the iambic pentameter thing. Female deer in there too etc etc.but it never completely gelled. Love the solution. Good work to all you code crackers
BAMBI was going to be my hail-Mary. 5 themers, 5 letters, a "well-known animated movie." I'd say BAMBI and SHREK (also, hey, 5 letters. Coincidence?) are MUCH more well-known than was A Bug's Life.
minimuggle
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#403

Post by minimuggle »

whimsy wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:27 pm
minimuggle wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:43 am This puzzle had so many rabbit hole possibilities......... Who knew there was a film called Anal Domain. Knew it was wrong and when I got the right film I kicked myself.
OK -- I'll ask before one of the Toms does ----
Where?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159971/
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mheberlingx100
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#404

Post by mheberlingx100 »

Dplass wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:27 am
Plymouthrock wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:17 am The swim of shame. Back to boat for me. Did anyone else submit Bambi? I thought answer would end in “I” then the iambic pentameter thing. Female deer in there too etc etc.but it never completely gelled. Love the solution. Good work to all you code crackers
BAMBI was going to be my hail-Mary. 5 themers, 5 letters, a "well-known animated movie." I'd say BAMBI and SHREK (also, hey, 5 letters. Coincidence?) are MUCH more well-known than was A Bug's Life.
I think we should all be thankful given the clue structure that the meta answer wasn’t “Fritz the Cat”.
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whimsy
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#405

Post by whimsy »

minimuggle wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 10:07 am
whimsy wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:27 pm
minimuggle wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 9:43 am This puzzle had so many rabbit hole possibilities......... Who knew there was a film called Anal Domain. Knew it was wrong and when I got the right film I kicked myself.
OK -- I'll ask before one of the Toms does ----
Where?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159971/
Golly, gee willikers -- I'll have to add this to my PG "To Watch" list! :shock:
Actually meant where'd you kick yourself? ;)
Nlobb
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#406

Post by Nlobb »

Did Mike Miller post the stats? Can't seem to find them...
flyingMoose
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#407

Post by flyingMoose »

Nlobb wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 4:59 pm Did Mike Miller post the stats? Can't seem to find them...
Not yet. Yesterday was probably a day off, so tomorrow is the more likely day to see the results.
MikeMillerwsj
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#408

Post by MikeMillerwsj »

Greetings, here's our weekly report (delayed a bit after the long weekend): A slightly tougher puzzle than usual. We had 1598 entries, about 63% correct (below our more typical level of 75%). Lots of cartoons for guessers to choose from, including FINDING NEMO (64), BAMBI (20), TOY STORY (13), SHREK (11), DUMBO (9), WALL-E (7), LAND BEFORE TIME (7) and many others.

Congrats to this week's winner, Tzachi Zach of Columbus, Ohio!
flyingMoose
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#409

Post by flyingMoose »

flyingMoose wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 5:07 pm
Nlobb wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 4:59 pm Did Mike Miller post the stats? Can't seem to find them...
Not yet. Yesterday was probably a day off, so tomorrow is the more likely day to see the results.
So, of course ...
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sharkicicles
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#410

Post by sharkicicles »

MikeMillerwsj wrote: Tue Jan 19, 2021 5:15 pm Greetings, here's our weekly report (delayed a bit after the long weekend): A slightly tougher puzzle than usual. We had 1598 entries, about 63% correct (below our more typical level of 75%). Lots of cartoons for guessers to choose from, including FINDING NEMO (64), BAMBI (20), TOY STORY (13), SHREK (11), DUMBO (9), WALL-E (7), LAND BEFORE TIME (7) and many others.

Congrats to this week's winner, Tzachi Zach of Columbus, Ohio!
Do each of the Funky Bunch also get a mug?
Inca
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#411

Post by Inca »

BarbaraK wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:00 am To further elaborate on Bob's question about needing kids/grandkids to get this, I don't really think it was necessary, in fact this might be a case where too much knowledge hinders rather than helps. (See the comments from people who knew lots of movies and tried to make one of the 5 letter named ones fit.)

I had heard of A Bug's Life, but if I hadn't I'm confident a google search for 'animated movie a bugs' would have pulled it up.

Of the theme answer movies, I've seen Coming to America and Men in Black, but I'd heard of the other three. Needed google to find out which of the many Bourne movies was from 2007.

I'd guess that being familiar with one or two of them would be enough for someone get the idea and google the rest. But if you've never heard of any of them (Inca, is that you?) it would be very hard to figure out.
Yeah, I gave up on this one early on. I saw "BOURNE" and I had heard of the The Bourne Identity so I kind of knew the endings of the theme answers were somehow in a movie name, but frankly had so little knowledge that I knew that even if I "could" get it, it would involve way, way too much googling...something I really don't enjoy doing. Funny, that even what gave me the idea of needing to google movies in the year listed with some part of the clue....even that "knowledge" was not right :D
Inca
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#412

Post by Inca »

LadyBird wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:07 pm
DrTom wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:19 pm
LadyBird wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:10 pm A memory popped immediately into my head when I first saw BATHE MAGGOT.


My efforts seemed to pay off. I didn't see any maggots in the boots the next day. I did wear my dark blue hiking socks, figuring it would be easier to see maggots crawling out of the boots that way. Earlier in the course, I had gouged my shin on a jagged branch and it was looking a little infected. I figured that if any maggots did venture upwards then perhaps they would do a little therapeutic wound debridement. I know--gross nursing humor.
Interesting, though I never had maggot boots (or kinky boots either) I did write and entire article on Maggot Therapy. Gross or not it still has application today. You do have to explain to the patient and family why their bandage might move, but hey, the stink of a necrotic wound resolves in a day or so and you cannot get better microsurgeons than maggots! You used to have to order them from California, and of course they got them to you by flying them - always cracked me up and kept the humor buzzing. After all why shouldn't they "Help Me, Help Me!" (OK, here it comes, I'm ready.....)
Do you have a link to your article?

Back in the days when medical companies could actually feed you, I went to a nice dinner/lecture. The topic-shown on slides as we were eating--was the therapeutic use of maggots and leeches.

I missed a chance to work with leeches by a couple of hours. I was caring for a head & neck cancer patient postop. The viability of his flap/skin graft was being compromised by a growing hematoma (collection of blood under the skin--or the flap in this case). They ordered therapeutic leeches and were flying them in from NC. They hadn't arrived by the time my shift ended. Fortunately for the patient, he would probably have been unaware of the leeches since he was on a ventilator and sedated.
This is really interesting to me, actually. My niece had surgery and she has a lovely reminder of it because she developed hematoma that is really quite ugly and makes her feel very self conscious. They discussed laser to get rid of it but either they tried and it wasn't successful or they were told it wouldn't be (I don't remember which). Are you saying that leeches could have solved this problem? (Obviously, not now since it is years later and I hope she is over the trauma of what it looks like.)
Inca
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#413

Post by Inca »

DrTom wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:18 pm
LadyBird wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:07 pm
DrTom wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:19 pm

Interesting, though I never had maggot boots (or kinky boots either) I did write and entire article on Maggot Therapy. Gross or not it still has application today. You do have to explain to the patient and family why their bandage might move, but hey, the stink of a necrotic wound resolves in a day or so and you cannot get better microsurgeons than maggots! You used to have to order them from California, and of course they got them to you by flying them - always cracked me up and kept the humor buzzing. After all why shouldn't they "Help Me, Help Me!" (OK, here it comes, I'm ready.....)
Do you have a link to your article?

Back in the days when medical companies could actually feed you, I went to a nice dinner/lecture. The topic-shown on slides as we were eating--was the therapeutic use of maggots and leeches.

I missed a chance to work with leeches by a couple of hours. I was caring for a head & neck cancer patient postop. The viability of his flap/skin graft was being compromised by a growing hematoma (collection of blood under the skin--or the flap in this case). They ordered therapeutic leeches and were flying them in from NC. They hadn't arrived by the time my shift ended. Fortunately for the patient, he would probably have been unaware of the leeches since he was on a ventilator and sedated.
OK, this has been the most frustrating response I have ever posted. I do not use the “Keep me signed in” thing anymore since I had an instance where someone PMed me because it looked like I was online and I think felt I ignored them.

The downside of not doing that means that your connection will time put and anything, regardless how long and considered just POOF disappears when you try to post. SO this is actually the THIRD time I have written this and each time it gets shorter – hmm maybe that is the way to do it after all?

At any rate, here is my answer and just to insure nobody’s stomach is set on edge I’ll post this as a SUPPER

I am afraid that article is absolutely ancient by reference standards. It was from 1998 and was in a journal that I was a section editor for. The Section was New and/or Unusual Uses and focused on the odd (wow, there’s a surprise!)

At any rate I doubt that it is available and I do not have, to my knowledge, any PDF copies. However, there are references available on the web and you can find all kinds of information in Pub Med (the Government run medical reference database on the web). One article I found rather easily was from Malaysia (developing countries often have a bigger problem with untreated wounds of course) from 2020:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7504313/

You can also go online and type in Ronald Sherman, who si probably the Father of maggot therapy in the US (a title I am sure her reveres!) and he was one of the early proponents. There is enough information on the web that you could spend a whole day curled up in your chair with a bottle (blue bottle of course) of something and fly right through it.

We still use leeches, mainly for pediatric patients but also as you describe, for making sure wounds or surgeries that might be complicated by clots or pressure from build up of blood are progressing nicely. It is always a lot of fun, when the leeches are no longer needed for the patient (since you really cannot keep them very long) to gross out a student or two by dipping your hand in the “leech motel” an bringing one out for a look. We have to sacrifice them anyway (the leeches not the students) so why not a last meal.

Oh, and speaking of meals…yes back in the good old days I attended a “Treatment of Decubitus Ulcers” at a very nice Italian restaurant. Red sauce, cheese and pasta did not seem to be very stimulating of appetite that evening….
I am really quite squeamish and aside from that any medical issues really scare me...I tend to freeze...including my brain apparently because I just can't think rationally. But, surprisingly, this really interests me. Can leeches be used to prevent the formation of, or to get rid of, hematomas?
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