The best solutions may be the simplest
CMAJ 1997;157:1739
On a trip through Africa it struck me that a simple but effective device is in wide use there but has yet to be "discovered" by our North American designers. This singular item, a foolproof ventilator for outdoor privies, consisted of a black stovepipe placed on the sunny side of the facility. Outdoor privies are still quite common in parklands and backwoods areas of Canada, yet almost all seem to ignore this ecologically friendly and noteworthy advance.
A patient of mine recently demonstrated great ingenuity in self-treating numerous strawberry nevi on his trunk. I had told him that the lesions weren't worth treating because they weren't symptomatic, were hidden by clothing and had no potential for malignancy or complications. I told him they would be best left alone. That didn't stop him from trying a simple, self-devised therapy. Using a magnifying glass, he focused sunlight on each nevus, burning it lightly. I don't know if he was being extra stoic, but he insisted that it hadn't been painful. He showed me the end result 6 weeks after the "treatment" ended. Almost all of the lesions had disappeared, and there was no evidence of scarring or inflammation.
One item that is sadly lacking in our state-of-the-art hospital system is a user-friendly lid for sealed fluid, margarine, jam and food containers. Many of these sealed units defy dexterous patients and utterly defeat weak, uncoordinated or arthritic ones. We aim for patient independence and self-sufficiency, but the seal-tight lids force patients to either get help or go hungry. Surely we could design pull-off lids with large tabs with a hole for a finger. Not only would this improve patient care, but it would also decrease demands on staff.
William B. Houston, MD
Penticton, BC
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