The Living or the Dead?

Science News reports on an experimental heart transplant procedure that involves removing the heart from a "dead" infant and placing it into a "live" one. Researchers performed three such transplants, and all three recipient children continued to live when they otherwise would not have.

The problem? Well, much like the doctor in "Happy Effects"--Dr. Jan Steenwycks, who tries to determine whether or not his patient is expired using techniques of the early 18th century (garlic, mirrors, needles and pins), the doctors of today are not convinced that the dead babies are no longer among the living.

As reported in Science News:

The dilemma focuses on the dead donor rule, an ethical guideline stating that a donor must be dead before vital organs are prepared for transplantation. When the heart has stopped irreversibly, it is called cardiac death. Dead donor rule protocol, based on a 2005 consensus in the medical community, suggests waiting between two and five minutes after the pulse stops to declare death.

However, to prevent damage to the donor organs, the hearts in the study were removed from the donors only "one minute and fifteen seconds after the donor’s pulse ceased."

Should doctors modify the dead donor rule in order to increase the chances of successful transplants? Ethical debates continue. An interesting clip of the debate can also be found on the Science News site.

Olaf reviewed in Booklist

My editor sent me this nice review of Dr. Olaf from Booklist:

Doctor Olaf Van Schuler’s Brain
By Kirsten Menger-Anderson
Oct. 2008. 304p. Algonquin, $22.95 (9781565125612) Historical Fiction.

The history of medicine and medical quackery, and one’s family personal history within that context, conjoin in this startlingly effective, even educational, novel. The Steenwyck family represents a long processions of brilliant doctors, going all the way back to colonial New York; but if brilliant, they also have quirky, even strange personalities. In a sequence of relatively short chapters, the author, eschewing a long, continuous narrative, preferring, in fact, an album of picture portraits, takes what amounts to snapshots of each Steenwyck doctor as the generations succeed one another, with each doctor’s “professional” activities speaking to the medical issue—or fad—of the day, from learning the mechanics of the brain to raising the dead to practicing phrenology to the Salk vaccine to the current popularity of breast implants. These individuals conduct their research and practices with typical Steenwyck passion, even in the face of skepticism, adversity, and disastrous results. For the most part, medical history cannot help but be interesting, and this author brings the subject to a fascinating glow; by extension, the story of the Steenwyck family becomes one thread of American cultural history.

Doctor Olaf arrived in the mail today

This morning, on my way out the door, I ran into Jose, our UPS guy, who had a copy of Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain in his truck. I opened it right there on the sidewalk. The book looks beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. I can't believe that it's sitting next to me now. Wooo!!

Doctor Olaf mentioned in the SF Chronicle

Doctor Olaf was listed in the SF Chronicle (along with titles by John Updike, Diane Johnson, Walter Mosley and Alan Cheuse) as one of the "more compelling titles coming out in the fall." Woo!

Bookshop Santa Cruz

I just heard that I'll be reading from Doctor Olaf at Bookshop Santa Cruz, my favorite childhood bookstore! The building is different from the one I knew (the original didn't survive the Loma Prieta earthquake), but I've been to the "new" location (only new in my mind--the earthquake was over 15 years ago), and I'm thrilled to be appearing there.

Details:

Monday, November 17, 7:30 pm
Bookshop Santa Cruz
1520 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, Ca 95060
831 460 3232

Doctor Olaf is on LibraryThing

I recently became a member of librarything.com, the "world's largest bookclub." I'm still exploring the site and setting up an author page, but already I'm impressed by the site and the number of readers and writers who use it. If you're a member, please drop by and say hello!

In related news, ten copies of Dr Olaf are currently available through librarything's Early Reviewers group. I'm pleased that Olaf is listed with such great company, including reader-requested favorites Company of Liars by Karen Maitland, Cul De Sac by Richard Thompson, Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology by Nick Gevers, and Mr. White's Confession by Robert Clark. According to the FAQ, the readers who are selected to receive early review copies are chosen using lecanomancy--I had to look it up--but it involves throwing three stones into a basin and summoning a demon. Sounds fair to me! Though the site promises that other factors are considered as well.

Card for Olaf

My mom designed some business cards for Dr Olaf:





I'm lucky to have a mom with good design sense!