Health
Discover facts about health. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Health
Knitting and crocheting have their own medical code
Arts and crafts are usually viewed as peaceful pastimes, but healthcare administrators know the dark truth about yarn. This official diagnostic code is…
Discover more
Adjustable hospital beds were patented in 1909
The ability to elevate a patient using a complex system of hand cranks fundamentally changed the nature of prolonged ward stays. Willis Dew Gatch engineered…
Discover more
There’s a medical code for chicken pecks
Farm life involves daily risks, the most embarrassing of which is being bested by a standard hen. Medical administrators saw fit to ensure that…
Discover more
Macaw attacks have their own medical code
Because nature is a vindictive force, the medical billing establishment carved out a highly specific alphanumeric string just for tropical bird encounters. If…
Discover more
Why a clinic is linked to reclining
The very buildings we visit for minor complaints get their name from ancient furniture logistics. Derived from 'klinein', meaning to slope or recline, the…
Discover more
Hospital gowns sacrificed patient dignity
If you have ever felt an unwanted draft while walking down a corridor, you can thank designers who prioritized institutional efficiency over personal modesty.…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
Why therapy dogs first entered psychiatric wards
Before golden retrievers were wandering the halls cheering up staff, they were deployed as serious therapeutic interventions post-WWI. In 1919, dogs were…
Discover more
US healthcare admin grew heavily since 1970
While the number of actual practitioners has risen steadily, the sheer volume of people hired to manage the paperwork has exploded beyond comprehension.…
Discover more
Hospitals track injuries in art galleries
Staring deeply into a modern masterpiece occasionally leads to walking directly into a glass partition, and the healthcare system wants precise data on it. By…
Discover more
Iatrophobia is the formal fear of doctors
Disliking the clinic is normal, but actively experiencing paralyzing terror at the sight of a practitioner earned its own spot in the diagnostic manual. This…
Discover more
Why we say we're under the weather
When you call in sick to work with a vague complaint, you are invoking an old maritime tradition of hiding from the elements. Sailors who felt ill would…
Discover more
There’s a code for getting hurt on a squash court
Hitting a tiny rubber ball inside a confined box is a recipe for disaster, and the billing manuals reflect that reality beautifully. If you meet your downfall…
Discover more
There’s a medical code for fighting with your boss
When your supervisor is so utterly insufferable that it manifests as a clinical issue, doctors have a standard code ready to go. The classification for…
Discover more
Medical jargon stat means immediately in Latin
Yelling a single syllable dramatically in a hallway sounds incredibly professional, but it is actually just ancient Roman vocabulary. Derived from the Latin…
Discover more
Awkward social skills have their own clinical code
Being incredibly awkward at parties is no longer just a personal failing; it is a fully recognized clinical classification. If your inability to hold a normal…
Discover more
Code V06.00XA logs nonmotor vehicle crashes
Colliding with a car is standard, but being taken out by a heavily laden wheelbarrow or an aggressive unicycle requires a distinct category. This ensures the…
Discover more
When patient records were written at the foot of the bed
Long before secure electronic health records and complex passwords, confidentiality was virtually nonexistent on the wards. The earliest form of organized…
Discover more
There is a medical code for a pig bite
Swine are generally cooperative, but when they choose violence, your provider needs a way to request payment for the consultation. Having a dedicated code for…
Discover more
There is an injury code for a prison swimming pool
Not only did they code for a swimming pool incident, but they explicitly narrowed it down to one located inside a correctional facility. The sheer…
Discover more
There is a medical code for baking injuries
The kitchen is a battlefield, and healthcare professionals are fully prepared to invoice you for your culinary defeats. When baking goes so terribly awry that…
Discover more
Why a patient is called a patient
The nomenclature used to describe customers of the healthcare system is incredibly blunt about the expected experience. Rooted in the Latin 'pati', the term…
Discover more
Why doctors once hated pagers
The little buzzing boxes that defined an entire era of television dramas were initially met with absolute fury by practitioners. Introduced in the mid-20th…
Discover more
Code R46.1 diagnoses bizarre appearances
If your fashion choices are so aggressive that they warrant a clinical note, this is the alphanumeric sequence you will receive. Doctors use this to…
Discover more
Ancient temples had waiting rooms too
The mind-numbing experience of sitting in a plastic chair reading outdated magazines has ancient, mythological roots. The temples of Asclepius featured…
Discover more