Favourite Funnies

I don’t believe in using too many mnemonics or rhymes to remember things, as remembering the mnemonic in itself can be a difficult task. To work, it must either be very funny, very relevant, or very entrenched.

Here are some of my favourites – some because they are hilarious and some simply because they work. Enjoy 🙂

Carpal bones of the wrist: The first medical mnemonic I ever learnt.

Some lovers try positions that they cannot handle / Sailors like to peep through the cabin hole

• scaphoid
• lunate
• triquetrum
• pisiform
• trapezium
• trapezoid
• capitate
• hamate

Apertures of the diaphragm and their spinal levels: I wish I had known this one earlier, since for some or other reason I can never remember these and they are commonly asked in exams.

• Aortic hiatus = 12 letters = T12
• Oesophagus = 10 letters = T10
• Vena Cava = 8 letters = T8

Causes of post-opperative fever – 5 Ws: If you watched Grey’s Anatomy Season 1, you will be familiar with this one.

1. Wind: nosocomial pneumonia
2. Wound: infection
3. Walk: pulmonary embolism
4. Whiz: urinary tract infection
5. Wonder drugs: side effects

Abdominal Distension – 5 Fs: The first mnemonic I learnt in second year.

1. Fluid
2. Fat
3. Flatus
4. Foetus
5. Filthy tumour

Typical patient at risk of Gallstones: These get some people up in a tiff; note that it is only the most common and not true to all cases.

Fat female fertile forty flatulent

Ellaborating on a complaint in the clinical history: SOCRATES

• Site
• Onset
• Character
• Radiation
• Alleviating factors
• Time
• Exacerbating factors
• Severity

Causes of acute pancreatitis: GET SMASH’D

• Gall stones
• Ethanol
• Trauma
• Steroids
• Mumps
• Autoimmune disease
• Scorpion
• Hyperlipidaemia
• Drugs

Triad of reactive arthritis:

1. Can’t see: conjunctivitis
2. Can’t pee: urethritis
3. Can’t climb a tree: arthritis

And finally, my favourite, taught to us just a few weeks ago: [drumroll please]

Cutaneous signs of alcohol abuse: remembering palmar erythema and spider angiomas.

Little Miss Muffet decided to rough it and live on tonic and gin. Red hands and a spider came outside her, and such are the wages of sin.

Studying has been rather difficult this year and so I have tried several different study methods to up my grades.

One method people love is rhymes and mnemonics. While these can be fun, I use them carefully. You can work out a rhyme for practically every list in Anatomy, but that doesn’t mean it is going to help you remember.

I find that the ones that work for me are the ones who are either very funny or very relevant. Here are some of my favourites – some because they are hilarious and some simply because they work. Enjoy J

Bones that make up the wrist

Some lovers try positions that they cannot handle / Sailors like to peep through the cabin hole

Apertures of the diaphragm and their spinal levels

Aortic hiatus = 12 letters = T12

Oesophagus = 10 letters = T10

Vena Cava = 8 letters = T8

Causes of post-opperative fever: 5 Ws

Wind

Wound

Walk

Whiz

Wonder drugs

Abdominal Distension 5 Fs

Fluid

Fat

Flatus

Foetus

Filthy tumour

Typical patient at risk of Gallstones

Fat female fertile forty flatulent

Socrates

Site

Onset

Character

Alleviating factors

Time

Exacerbating factors

Severity

Acute pancreatitis

Get smash’d

Gall stones

Ethanol

Trauma

Steroids

Mumps

Autoimmune disease

Scorpion

Hyperlipidaemia

Drugs

Reactive arthritis

Can’s see

Can’t pee

Can’t climb a tree