Ugeskrift for laeger
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Student experiences looked upon in a humorous way. As a very young medical student, I earned my living through bedside care. The experience was overwhelming and maybe somewhat instructive. It might have been more instructive and less overwhelming if someone had bothered to tell me what was going on and what it was all about.
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Ugeskrift for laeger · Dec 2008
[The comfort of a pleasant discomfort. Humour as a biological phenomenon I].
No understanding of the nature of humour can be complete without a description of the emotional reactions and mechanisms accompanying humour. The enjoyment of a good laugh is essential to an explanation of humour and the reason why we seek humorous experiences. Humour is, however, not only coupled with positive emotions, but also triggered by potentially harmful experiences. ⋯ Humour, seen as a biological phenomenon, therefore has its evolutionary roots in the mechanisms underlying the ability to learn to avoid danger. In humans this often takes place in a complex social context, and the final steps in the evolution of humour therefore must be sought in the complex primate society. In this, the first of two articles on humour in a biological context, we examine the role of emotions in experiencing humour.
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Delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction are important and common complications after surgery. Risk factors are first of all increasing age and type of surgery, whereas the type of anaesthesia does not seem to play an important role. Mortality is higher among patients with cognitive dysfunction than among patients without such dysfunction.