What I Learned from Superheroes a Humorous View of the Media’S Influence on a Future Emergency Physician

EDITORIAL Neal Flomenbaum, MD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF What I Learned From Superheroes A humorous view of the media’s influence on a future emergency physician. ike many children growing up group of overachievers. In fact, it is tically endorsed the event in a letter to in the decades before the advent just possible that the way superhe- the editor—my first letter to the editor L of VHS and DVD players, cable roes handle themselves and go about published in a national peer-reviewed television, electronic games, comput- accomplishing their objectives in publication.1 I’m proud to say that I ers, cell phones, and iPads, I spent emergencies helped shape my choice wrote that letter long before “politi- many hours reading about the adven- of medical specialty. cal correctness” was invented. I also tures of superheroes in comic books. What did I learn from superheroes? learned that a superhero sometimes Over the years, my younger I learned that their mission in life is manages to fix a bad situation, only to brother and I managed to accumu- often driven by early-childhood ex- witness its unexpected consequences late a large library of such case report periences with illnesses or deaths of afterwards. Here, I am reminded of journals documenting the extraordi- loved ones (Superman’s parents died the patients we sometimes treat in nary lifesaving accomplishments of the ED, only to read about their later this elite group of dedicated practi- misdeeds on the front pages of tab- tioners. These invaluable descrip- Even superheroes spend loid newspapers. tions of multiple-casualty disasters, most of their lives doing I learned several other important weapons of mass destruction, pre- ordinary things. lessons from superheroes as well, paredness, and lifesaving techniques but one of the most important is survived intact until I left home for that even superheroes spend most college when, for some inexplica- in a catastrophic explosion, Batman’s of their lives doing ordinary things ble reason, my mother threw them parents were murdered) and trauma, as Clark Kent (Superman) Bruce all out. Afterwards, I would some- lots of trauma. Another lesson I Wayne (Batman), etc—just as all times ask her if she knew the mon- learned is that superheroes typically emergency physicians can recall the etary value of the collection she had sacrifice the good life, or at least an spectacular saves while continuing discarded—until one day, after a few easier life, for the privilege of help- to provide the daily wound care and moments of silence, my mother qui- ing others. In practical terms, super- acute medical treatments needed by etly asked me if I knew the value of heroes are on call always and on the so many people. the medical school education that scene whenever necessary. They are And now, after returning from a she and my dad were paying for. no strangers to “single coverage” (Su- brief vacation at Superman's Fortress I never mentioned the collection perman, Batman) but also work very of Solitude and unpacking the Bat- again, and over the ensuing years I effectively in teams (Legion of Super- mobile, it's back to work! EM thought less and less about superheroes, Fantastic Four). Superheroes heroes—except for the occasional often suffer setbacks and frustrations Reference 1. Flomenbaum N. Supergirl [letter]. Action Comics. reminders provided by the increas- but eventually prevail. 1959;1:255(8):22. ingly spectacular movie versions of I learned early in life that superpow- their adventures and the echoes of ers are not gender-specific. When Su- superhuman efforts I witnessed in perman’s cousin Supergirl arrived on This editorial is republished hospitals. But I never forgot the les- earth in the spring of 1959, one fu- from the August 2010 issue of Emergency Medicine. sons I had learned from this unusual ture emergency physician enthusias- 8 EMERGENCY MEDICINE | SEptember 2013 www.emedmag.com.

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