This is a blog for hypochondriacs

As a hypochondriac, I know that most of my kind are already fascinated with diseases and conditions that most people have never heard of. I for one have read the entire 1982 Merck Manual from cover to cover (since at the time there was no Internet to look things up on). I know more about river blindness, guinea worms, thyroid dysfunction and ebola virus, among other things, than most normal people.

I am also totally hypnotized by the Discovery Health channel's "Medical Mysteries," "Medical Incredible," and various other medically-related shows, to say nothing of "House" with that wonderful Hugh Laurie. Any show that has a mysterious illness every week that no one can figure out, is always a challenge to any good hypochondriac. Tell me your symptoms, I'll tell you your disease -- and then develop the symptoms myself and become convinced I have it.

Both of my parents were medical writers; my mom wrote abstracts for Hoffman-LaRoche's medical magazine back in the 40's and then worked in medical advertising, where she met my dad, who was a medical copywriter. I missed my calling - I probably should have followed in their footsteps. But, as George Eliot said, "It's never too late to be who you might have been." So I thought I'd start a blog to write about medical subjects.