AntarcticDoctor

Down here in Antarctica with a reasonable amount of free time, it is easy to let the mind and body slow into the sweet abyss of ennui. I’m especially concious of what this year means to my career; certainly it is an unparalleled life experience and I’m learning many skills (leadership, management, paperwork, snow-shovelling), but medically it has the potential to be a vacuum. Coming from a hectic ER job into a setting where I might only have to consult once or twice a week might sound wonderful, but I’m acutely aware that each passing day in Antarctica is at the expense of 30-100 patient’s worth of experience and procedures that I would have been performing back home. To counter the inevitable degradation of skills and mental fitness, I have made several promises to myself: I spend time doing minor tasks with surgical implements so as to maintain dexterity; I am studying for examinations on my return; I take part in online discussions and tutorials; and I am reading as many relevant journal articles as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

• Highest temperature recorded this year: 11 January: -1.3 °C
• Lowest absolute temperature (not including wind-chill): 19 March: -27.7 °C
• Lowest apparent temperature (including wind-chill): Estimated at -43 °C (Canadian Tables)
• Greatest wind-speed was recorded during our last storm (1 April): 88 knots (163 km/h or 45.3 m/sec)

Yes, it is true – SANAE 47 were the champions at the take-over sports soccer competition, so I think it is only fair to claim the title. In any case, here’s a photo of the team together, which we’ll be sharing with the other overwintering teams. Click on the photo for a bigger view.