I'm Going Slightly Mad

Well -- one more final to go. It's hard to believe this juggernaut of a semester is almost over. In light of today's title, which is not much of an exaggeration to be honest (sleep deprivation and mental overload), I thought I'd highlight Brian May, a true renaissance man who is not only a iconic rock star but a full-fledged scholar as well.

Prior to his rock band fame, Brian was an aspiring physicist, studying at the Imperial College London, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in both Physics and Mathematics. He then proceeded to make his way towards a PhD, but abandoned his scholastic endeavors when Queen started to become successful. 30 years later (and an estimated 300 million worldwide albums sold!), Brian returned to his research and completed his PhD thesis, officially graduating at a ceremony held in the Royal Albert Hall in May 2008. He also became the Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University in April 2008, taking over for Cherie Blair, the wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair.

Brian in guitar hero mode:


Brian in full academic regalia:


In a word -- Brilliant!
Here's to you Dr. May...



Honorable mention goes out to Tom Scholz, guitarist and founder of the band Boston. Tom attended M.I.T. on a full scholarship and graduated with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering. He went on to work for Polaroid and has 34 patents to his name. While still at Polaroid, Tom recorded virtually all of the first Boston album in his basement -- an album that went on to sell more than 16 million copies, which I still believe holds the record as the best selling debut album of all time.

Tom the guitarist:


Tom the tinkerer:


I'm off to do my last minute cramming. I've been pulling all-nighters all week -- don't see any reason to stop now. My last final is in Physiology, over the GI unit. Some fun facts:

• We produce 1-2 liters of saliva a day
• the stomach is capable of expanding to 30x it's empty volume
• the cells of the stomach lining are replaced every 3 days

And one of my favorite terms all quarter -- one of the procedures in diagnosing GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder) is abbreviated as a EGD -- I doubt many internists use the full name -- esophagogastroduodenoscopy!

How my head feels at the moment: