Of Misinformation

there's some bits of misinformation given in yesterday's straits times. in the article about the middle-aged man who died while running on the treadmill, it was stated that resuscitation measures were taken and a defibrillator was used. the purpose of the machine was given as "to jumpstart a stopped heart". this is wrong, and only happens in the movies. the machine is used to shock the heart when its rhythm goes haywire but cannot help to restart a stopped heart.

i was pretty surprised to see such an error in the papers because if you google it, the excellent wikipedia article (read it here) comes out at the top of the list. i know it's a pretty common misconception, thanks to the hollywood folks, and i myself was none the wiser until i rotated through emergency medicine. perhaps the reporter knew this but decided to simplify the article, i don't know. still, it's the responsibility of the mass media to publicise crucial and correct information that will not confuse or mislead the general public.

mumbler is off to the fragrant harbour for three days. tata!