Of Course, Doctors Can Read. Thank God They No Longer Have To!

Busy doctors and nurses often don't have the time to actually read patient charts or medicine labels any more. Not to worry, the folks who run one of my favorite online publications, Null Hypothesis: The Journal of Unlikely Science, point out that a French think tank is developing road-sign inspired icons to label drugs. The Null Hypothesis editors have made some helpful suggestions of their own which I include below:

Twelve new icons:

For the whole story click over to Null Hypothesis here.

Comments

Fluffy | April 25, 2008, 10:39am | #

That Depression one is very insensitive.

And as a result, it's very, very funny.

Hugh Akston | April 25, 2008, 10:44am | #

Is it April 1st? This can't be real.

Rhywun | April 25, 2008, 10:46am | #

I don't know what "giardia" is, but it sure looks unpleasant.

JParker | April 25, 2008, 10:47am | #

Are people determined to make every detail of Idiocracy com true?

How well off to Starbucks to get a latte.

John-David | April 25, 2008, 10:47am | #

I'm quite sure the Null Hypothesis icons will be more informative and better than whatever the official new icons are.

MP | April 25, 2008, 10:48am | #

It is really, REALLY hard to pick out the funniest one. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

If I was forced to pick a favorite, it would be Mad Cow (CJD).

Chamomiles Davis | April 25, 2008, 10:51am | #

Is it just me, or does the "Syphilis" icon strongly resemble "Excessive Nose Hair?"

JParker: Don't forget the free handjob!

Troy | April 25, 2008, 10:52am | #

I wonder what Irritable Bowel Syndrome would look like?

Roy Diddley | April 25, 2008, 10:54am | #

Not even close to clever. Try going back and stealing something truly sick from Nat.Lampoon.

MP | April 25, 2008, 10:56am | #

I wonder what Irritable Bowel Syndrome would look like?

Not much different than Giardia. With IBS though, it's only coming out one end.

Episiarch | April 25, 2008, 10:58am | #

Anal Prolapse for the win. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's when your large intestine actually comes out of your anus and is outside your body. I have actually encountered this on monkeys before. The trick to getting the intestine back in? Sprinkle salt on it to shrink it, and then push it back in.

the innominate one | April 25, 2008, 11:00am | #

if you RTFA, Troy, there is an icon for intestinal inflammatory diseases.

Rhywun | April 25, 2008, 11:02am | #

I am Jack's colon.

MP | April 25, 2008, 11:03am | #

Anal Prolapse for the win. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's when your large intestine actually comes out of your anus and is outside your body.

Reminds me of this classic from rotten.com (WARNING: not for the faint of heart).

J sub D | April 25, 2008, 11:04am | #

Syphilis (screaming briefs) and amnesia (blank) are hilarious. Acne (popping zit) isn't too bad either.

JW | April 25, 2008, 11:05am | #

Note to self: don't come back as one of Epi's monkeys.

Idiocracy | April 25, 2008, 11:17am | #

Uh, your shit's all fucked up... and you talk like a fag...

D.A. Ridgely | April 25, 2008, 11:18am | #

Anal Prolapse for the win. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's when your large intestine actually comes out of your anus and is outside your body. I have actually encountered this on monkeys before. The trick to getting the intestine back in? Sprinkle salt on it to shrink it, and then push it back in.

Offhand, I'd say the real trick is explaining why you have had that much exposure to and experience with monkey anuses.

Episiarch | April 25, 2008, 11:32am | #

Offhand, I'd say the real trick is explaining why you have had that much exposure to and experience with monkey anuses.

I'll let you keep wondering. Like a good horror movie, it's better to let your imagination fill in the blanks.

Peter Twieg | April 25, 2008, 11:40am | #

Glad someone beat me to the Idiocracy reference. It's quite prescient..

Reinmoose | April 25, 2008, 11:44am | #

Best

Reason

Friday

Ever

The Bearded Hobbit | April 25, 2008, 11:45am | #

.. c'mon, this is a gag, right?? .. otherwise "The Little Black Bag" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Black_Bag) is looking more like prophesy ..

.. Hobbit

SugarFree | April 25, 2008, 11:46am | #

Offhand, I'd say the real trick is explaining why you have had that much exposure to and experience with monkey anuses.

If you'd ever had salted monkey anus, you wouldn't be asking that question.

ChicagoTom | April 25, 2008, 11:48am | #

So basically, the French think tank wants Doctors to be more like McDonalds cashiers?

Kolohe | April 25, 2008, 12:22pm | #

I think the Null hypothesis link is really funny, but I'm going to defend the practice of this supposed 'dumbing down.'

I mean, it's no different than going from from a command line interface to a GUI, right? I know the l337 hax0rs look down on it, but most people have better uses of their time. A picture is worth a thousand words, and all that.

Medic at St. God's Hospital | April 25, 2008, 12:30pm | #

Stick this wire in your ear, this one in your mouth, and this one in your butt.

[COMPUTER BUZZES ERROR ALERT]

Uh.... (frantically shuffles wires)

OK, you stick THIS one in your ear, THIS one in your mouth...

Reinmoose | April 25, 2008, 12:30pm | #

Fun (I think it's a) Fact:
I believe to be a practicing physician in France you only have to go to 5 years worth of post-high school education. This is likely part of how they keep their costs down for their universal health care program.

l337 haXx0r | April 25, 2008, 12:32pm | #

I mean, it's no different than going from from a command line interface to a GUI, right?

But then we don't look like wizards! We have enough trouble getting chicks, and this makes it worse!

Kelly Halldorson | April 25, 2008, 1:19pm | #

I vote for Amnesia

:)

SugarFree | April 25, 2008, 1:21pm | #

I'm surprised you remembered to.

Taktix® | April 25, 2008, 1:25pm | #

This actually plays into a theory I have been working on:

The English language is becoming more iconic due to cultural exchanges between U.S. and Asian cultures.

Character-based languages, like Mandarin and Korean, are starting to have a strong influence on the more traditionally-western alphabet-based languages.

We see it all the time, from stuff like this article to the icons on your desktop. I see it less as a debasing of language and more as the evolution of world communication.

Thoughts?

Taktix® | April 25, 2008, 1:29pm | #

Oh, and please pass the salted monkey anus, I didn't have any breakfast this morning...

Peter | April 25, 2008, 1:31pm | #

Funny ...

In Idiocracy, the joke is on us stupid Am-rrricans bein all dumb, needing pictures and all. In addition to which, hasn't society been taken over by "Corporations". I see it as vindicating that the reality is that the FRENCH, supposedly the last bastion of civilized intelligent society have come up with this, and that it has emerged from the welfare state NOT the "Corporations, MAN".

Taktix® | April 25, 2008, 1:33pm | #

Threadjack:

Fear the penis theft!

SugarFree | April 25, 2008, 1:39pm | #

Taktix®,

At least we know why Edward's not been around in the last few days.

Matthew | April 25, 2008, 2:29pm | #

A picture is worth a thousand words, and all that.

That's the problem with pictures. A word is only worth that one word.

ed | April 25, 2008, 2:43pm | #

the real trick is explaining why you have had that much exposure to and experience with monkey anuses

Maybe he was on Fear Factor.

Kolohe | April 25, 2008, 2:58pm | #

Character-based languages, like Mandarin and Korean, are starting to have a strong influence on the more traditionally-western alphabet-based languages.

Another fun (i think it's a) fact:

Japanese created Hiragana (a phonetic alphabet) from Kanji (Chinese Characters) in order to enable women to be literate, who were deemed not quite bright enough to handle the complexity of Chinese orthography.

Barry | April 25, 2008, 3:07pm | #

"In Idiocracy, the joke is on us stupid Am-rrricans bein all dumb, needing pictures and all."
I think IDIOCRACY is as just as critical of the welfare-state as it is corporations; I've always noticed that both leftists and right-wingers want to claim the film for their own, when the real intention of the film is to point the finger at everybody. I think the movie is more pro personal-responsibility then anything else...

Chris Potter | April 25, 2008, 3:10pm | #

Taktix,

I think it has more to do with the fact that crisp, neat images are so much easier to produce now than they were in previous times. If this type of thing were practical in 1800, it would have been done then as well. Remember, back when most people were illiterate, signs for shops were almost all pictures rather than text.

prolefeed | April 25, 2008, 3:33pm | #

How about some libertarian icons as well? For example, an icon of Mary Poppins (a nanny) wetting her panties as a replacement for the word "freedom."

robc | April 25, 2008, 4:03pm | #

it's no different than going from from a command line interface to a GUI, right? I know the l337 hax0rs look down on it, but most people have better uses of their time.

CLI is almost always faster than GUI.

Peter | April 25, 2008, 5:34pm | #

"I think the movie is more pro personal-responsibility then anything else."

You may be right, it has been a while since this admittedly reactionary, gun-clinging, albeit occasional latte-sipper has seen it. In my opinion above all, it struck me as uncomfortably pro-eugenics in tone though. But while I may disagree with what Mike Judge says, I'll fight to the death for his right to say it!

Peter | April 25, 2008, 5:35pm | #

OOOOh! And Mary Poppins had the most perfect tagline, equally apropos for any advocate of the welfare state. Imagine it: The Government ... "Practically perfect in every way."

zig zag man | April 25, 2008, 6:22pm | #

" The trick to getting the intestine back in? Sprinkle salt on it to shrink it, and then push it back in."

I would imagine that the most difficult part would be restraining the angry, suffering primate while trying to sprinkle salt on his ass. The pushing back in part, well, that has to be fun too.

/Monkeys FTW!

zig zag man | April 25, 2008, 6:25pm | #

"You may be right, it has been a while since this admittedly reactionary, gun-clinging, albeit occasional latte-sipper has seen it."

Don't forget bitter.

Scooby | April 26, 2008, 12:58am | #

it's no different than going from from a command line interface to a GUI, right? I know the l337 hax0rs look down on it, but most people have better uses of their time.

CLI is almost always faster than GUI.

Not if you add in the time spent learning the ins and outs of the CLI, especially for casual and/or sporadic users.

economist | April 27, 2008, 10:29am | #

What is "Idiocracy"?

LarryA | April 27, 2008, 7:53pm | #

I drove back and forth to a conference this weekend, through several towns. I kept seeing graphic icon signs for libraries, the silhouette of a person reading a book. Wrap your mind around that one.

Back on topic, isn’t this the wrong problem? Are they making any progress teaching doctors to draw, so we don’t have to decipher their writing?