And now, I present, coming in the midst of actual downtime, rest, relaxation, the bountious fruit of my idle surfing, especially for you the reader– My special vacation edition of the best posts-

Regarding the Mind-

At Deric Bownds MindBlog, there are two very cool optical illusions illustrating how the mind cheats to construct an image of the present in spite of the processing time it takes to make the image, by anticipating what will happen.

At The Cockroach Catcher, a very thought provoking post about how labels can make psychiatric illness worse, imagining what would happen if suddenly, Anorexia Nervosa were no longer classified as a mental illness.

At Sharp Brains, Alvaro paradoxically alerts us to how easily the mind is swayed, interviewing the author of a new book, warning us that if we buy the book at his recommendation, we have just fallen quite literally for the oldest trick in the book.

Regarding the Soul-

At the Doctor is in, Dr. Bob has a wonderful post about the justness or unjustness of the universe, and the logical conundrum an atheist will get into trying to reject one totalitarian system only to have it replaced by another.

At By Common Consent, Tracy M has a magnificent post, as always.  She ponders the wonder that is the atonement of Jesus Christ and the answers to questions that can only come through experiencing it.

At Covert Rationing, a blog that acknowledges that society wide, healthcare rationing is inevitable and points out the consequences of the underground way we ration secretly here in the US, Dr. Rich has a wonderful post slamming the currently vogue system of utilitarian medical ethics. He proposes a new framework that maintains the Doctor Patient relationship while acknowledging reality.

Regarding the Body-

Medical News today reports a study that shows that the expressions we make when frightened improve our senses. Anatomy and physiology never cease to amaze me when it comes to form following function.

Boing Boing has a picture worth a thousand words, reporting a dentist in Salt Lake City, who just may be onto the next big thing, Tattooed Teeth? (HT: Happy Hospitalist)

At N-Cog-Neato, an insightful critique of recent research into the wonders of caffeine, exploring the limits of studies to date.  Could it be that relieving withdrawal symptoms explains away all the magic?

or All the Above-

The Anesthesioboist has a beautiful Father’s day post on Fathers and tears from the privileged perspective of one who witnesses the emotions related to surgery everyday. This one made my day.

While Memorial day was a while ago, Dr. David had an especially moving account of a different kind of memorial day service that I just came across in last weeks Grand rounds. They honor a different kind of soldier, the child who gives their life in the battle with Cancer.

At Home of the Brave, comes an extremely disturbing report about the mounting evidence that the US government is using medical personnel in torture, shades of the Fourth Reich.

and just because I Liked it-

At To Every Man an Answer, Dr. Awesome outlines the complex and intricate rules having “mancrush” without diminishing your manhood.

At Emergiblog, Kim takes a disturbing walk through the advertising with medical professionals past, nearly loses her own entire blog past, and warns of the terror patients may soon be forced to endure due to the beaurocratic horror that is JCAHO, all in the course of one post, Amazing!

At Medical Pastiche, Peter shares a deep and integral part of the physician psyche, the love of medical devices, and explains the hidden need they fulfill.

For those hungry for more, there is a plethora of fantastic posts in this weeks Grand Rounds at Shrink Wrap, and Encephalon at Neurophilosophy.  If you notice borrowed posts, what can I say, I’m on vacation and besides, they were really, really good.

That is it for this time.  Tune in next time. Until then, the quest continues.  Whenever there is something insightful, uplifting, or thought provoking, I will be there for you.  Have I ever let you down before?