Surgical tools used to cut and cauterize tissues in an operating room can emit a caustic smoke. Some health care professionals, such as nurses who may spend hours each day in ORs, say the resulting airborne carcinogens are the equivalent of smoking up 30 unfiltered cigarettes. They report suffering from higher levels of congestion, coughing and asthma.

But STAT, a health news site, said its analysis of the situation paints a less grim picture. It found that there's little substantive data to back up the claims and anecdotal evidence. Worse, some of the biggest advocates for taking action are companies hoping to sell devices to capture surgical smoke.

Nonetheless, some groups, like the California Nurses Association, are pushing for legislation to require stricter regulations for safely evacuating surgical smoke.

Body of Knowledge

The fastest growing fingernail is that of the middle finger, particularly on the dominant hand. The reason why isn't known, though nail growth is related to finger length, with longer fingers growing nails faster.

Get Me That, Stat!

More than 90 percent of U.S. drivers say they wear seat belts, according to 2016 data reported by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. That's up from 70 percent in 2000. Seatbelt use varied, however, by region with Western states posting higher rates than elsewhere. Not surprisingly, seatbelt use was highest in states where vehicle occupants can be pulled over solely for not using seat belts.

Number Cruncher

A plain hot dog (98 grams) contains 242 calories, 131 from fat. It has 14.5 grams of total fat or 22 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet.

It also contains 44 milligrams of cholesterol (15 percent); 670 mg of sodium (28 percent); 18 grams of total carbohydrates (6 percent) 10.4 g of protein.

Doc Talk

Incidentaloma: a usually benign mass found on a scan while looking for something else

Stories For The Waiting Room

In 1946, Walt Disney Productions produced an animated film called "The Story of Menstruation." It was sponsored by the maker of Kotex products and intended to be shown in school health classes. The film explains the biology of menstruation, provides tips on "happy periods" and, some suggest, is the first widely disseminated film to use the word "vagina." You can check it out on YouTube.

Phobia Of The Week

Bromidrosiphobia or bromidrophobia: fear of body smells

Never Say Diet

The Major League Eating record for asparagus is 12 pounds, 8.75 ounces in 10 minutes, held by Joey Chestnut. And that aroma wafting across the competition site after Chestnut's victory. That was the sweet smell of excess.

Best Medicine

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the director how it was determined whether a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," replied the director, "we fill up a bathtub, offer the patient a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I see," said the visitor. "A normal person would choose the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No," answered the director. "A normal person would pull the plug. Would you prefer a bed near a window?"

Hypochondriac's Guide

Craniopagus parasiticus is even worse than it sounds. It is an extremely rare medical condition in which a baby is born with a parasitic second head. The extra head lacks a functioning brain and is, in effect, the attached remnants of an unsuccessful twin.

Only 10 cases have been documented in modern medical history; and just three resulted in live births with no happy endings. In 2003, an infant named Rebeca Martinez in the Dominican Republic underwent the first operation to remove the second head. She died soon after the 11-hour surgery. In 2005, a 10-month-old girl named Manar Maged underwent a successful 13-hour operation, but died just before her second birth of a severe brain infection.

Finally, an Indian boy dubbed "Two-Headed Boy of Bengal" was born in 1783, but died four years later from a cobra bite. His skull is preserved at the Hunterian Museum in London.

Observation

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." —American humorist Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Medical History

This week in 1924, physiologist Horatio B. Williams debuted the first portable electrical stethoscope designed to amplify sounds within the human body.

Self Exam

Q: What is the hardest part of human body?

a) Femur

b) Skull

c) Teeth

d) Nails

A: Teeth, or more precisely their enamel coating.

Last Words

"Now I can cross the Shifting Sands." —"The Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919). Baum was referring to the Shifting Sands of his most famous novel, an impassable desert that surrounds the Land of Oz

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.