Comments on: A 12-hour old baby was burned in intensive care http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/01/12-hour-old-baby-was-burned-in.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Gasmanhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/01/12-hour-old-baby-was-burned-in.html#comment-83062 Gasman Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:09:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/01/a-12-hour-old-baby-was-burned-in-intensive-care.html#comment-83062 "...but how can such horrific accident be understood and avoided without some understanding of the basic facts of the case..."<br/><br/>Well anon, don't look to the press for facts of a case. Facts are irrelevant to the delivery of a story. Further, most journalists failed to take a broad mix of courses in college that would permit them to understand the most basic physical concepts. That the reporter let this statement slide without question reeks of ignorance and sloppiness. “…but how can such horrific accident be understood and avoided without some understanding of the basic facts of the case…”

Well anon, don’t look to the press for facts of a case. Facts are irrelevant to the delivery of a story. Further, most journalists failed to take a broad mix of courses in college that would permit them to understand the most basic physical concepts. That the reporter let this statement slide without question reeks of ignorance and sloppiness.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/01/12-hour-old-baby-was-burned-in.html#comment-83058 Anonymous Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:19:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/01/a-12-hour-old-baby-was-burned-in-intensive-care.html#comment-83058 If oxygen was a fuel, we wouldn't have an energy crisis. If oxygen was a fuel, we wouldn’t have an energy crisis.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/01/12-hour-old-baby-was-burned-in.html#comment-83056 Anonymous Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:05:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/01/a-12-hour-old-baby-was-burned-in-intensive-care.html#comment-83056 Well, that's a sad story - a tragedy, to be sure. But it's also wrong on one important point - oxygen itself does not burn. Something else - some fuel, maybe the oxygen hood or tubing - can burn in the presence of oxygen. The statement of the oxygen itself igniting is bad science, and the writers of the story (and many readers, judging from comments on the linked site) seem to miss that point entirely. I understand that the science isn't really the point, but how can such horrific accident be understood and avoided without some understanding of the basic facts of the case... Well, that’s a sad story – a tragedy, to be sure. But it’s also wrong on one important point – oxygen itself does not burn. Something else – some fuel, maybe the oxygen hood or tubing – can burn in the presence of oxygen. The statement of the oxygen itself igniting is bad science, and the writers of the story (and many readers, judging from comments on the linked site) seem to miss that point entirely. I understand that the science isn’t really the point, but how can such horrific accident be understood and avoided without some understanding of the basic facts of the case…

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