Long, long ago, in a remote corner of Africa, there was a severe shortage of anaesthetics but a huge donated supply of outdated diazepam.

The doctors used massive doses of the diazepam instead of anaesthetics wherever possible; the patients were quiet and their eyes looked somewhat like CJ’s portrait of you.

I was given one of these diazepam doses while they fished out bits of frag from a medically trivial wound, mopped up, and stitched me back together. It was a curious experience: the pain was not reduced at all, but it had sort of “slipped sideways” and seemed somehow not to be connected to me.

“Even after they’d been given propranolol, they still expected to receive a shock when they saw a picture of a spider – they just weren’t afraid of the prospect.”

But later:
“However the volunteers still expected a shock when they saw the spidery images. They remembered that the pain of electricity would normally follow the sight of a spider – they just had no emotional reaction to that knowledge.” (itals in original)

I don’t really understand this. I think maybe I’ll take propranalol next time I go to the dentist. (Ever since I was once sitting in a dentist’s waiting room and I heard this terrible drilling noise, I find a dentist’s office particularly distasteful. Of course, the drilling was construction in the next office, but it didn’t stop everyone in the waiting room from glancing at their neighbor in fright, expecting to hear the screams next.)

But Sadie was pretty cool (and born a Brit).

Dr C,

Your linked article on propanalol says, it doesn’t remove memory, “they just had no emotional reaction to that knowledge.” Felix … star-spangled underwear … Noooooooooooooooo….!

Felix,

…”dedickification” … For some reason, one is reminded of barnacles …

“One removes its rope sandles.”

Emergency! Emergency!! This is not a drill! Everybody evacuate the premises! Felix has removed his rope sandals! Run! Cover your eyes!

Never mind … “the author is dead”! [1]

:-)

DrC> O.K., O.K. propranalol not propanalol.

Ah … that’s the amnesifacience taken care of. Perhaps, in her reference to dedickification, our Dear Leader had propane or ethanol in mind?

JH> You will remember … I explained to
JH> you what one does to a chicken before
JH> one cooks it?

I do. Vividly. One removes its rope sandles.

—

[1] Roland Barthes, Aspen, 1967 [ <- footnote for JH's delectation]

I’m also unclear whether I really want to know…

You are well prepared for removing knickers.

Reaches into his pharmaceuticals cupboard and grabs his propanalol lifesavers. “Here, try one, you;ll like it.”