On the day when twitter is big news for the war waged by obese passenger Kevin Smith against Southwest Airlines, another more intriguing tweet was sent by CNN medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta to his 1,206,114 followers.  He posted a photo he shot and labeled it “medical mystery. any idea on what you are looking at, and what the abnormality is?”, and he invited his followers to venture a guess.

Image uploaded to twitter by Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Readers responded immediately.  Some seemed to have a basic understanding of anatomy and health disorders:

“Is it scoliosis??” asked reader Mbrodis.

Rcpgirl added  “Not sure. severe spinal deformity but very curious please tell us soon”.

Gupta was one of the first journalists to arrive in Haiti after the earthquake January 12th and quickly excelled at his dual roles as correspondent and neurosurgeon.  After a few days back home with his wife and three young children, on February 6th he tweeted the following:

“think it’s time to go back to haiti. can’t forget what is happening there. must maintain dedicated focus. convincing my wife to let me go.

The next day came the answer:

Approval granted from wife. en route to haiti tonite. she said she wishes she could go as well –to help. 3 daughters 4 and under need her.

Since Gupta has wings on his feet, it’s hard to say if the photo came from Haiti or the U.S. but it’s easy to get caught up in his mission.

As for that odd photo, when you think twitter members are just teenagers, tech geeks or fans of Ashton Kutcher, you get responses like this:

From yasmeenrauf: “mri c spine, sagittal view. type 2, c2 fracture. congenital c4-5 fusion. multi level spondylosis with cervical stenosis at c3-4, c4-5, c5-6 & c6-7. code signal change extending between c4-c5.

Imdrwell wrote: “ipsilateral compression deformities of cervical spines, but intact spinal cord”

“Patient moved during MRI,causing appearance of fluid image? Cerebellum appears to have “bled” through foramen magnum. Perhaps a compression injury, force from top of head downward…” That was posted by tdg31.

SheiladowningRN: Klippel-Fiel Syndrome. Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), cord edema.

I draw a number of conclusions from this.  First, unless these comments are fake, there are some real brainiacs on this social network.

Second, never judge a user’s intelligence by their user name.  Who ever thought someone calling themselves JokerOracle knew this?:

“Odontoid fx, multilevel spondylosis with spinal stenosis (max at C3-4), cord contusion at C4-5, hyperflexion injury, prevertebral edema”.

And lastly, there is enormous potential for the sharing of information on a site like this and Gupta knows how to work it. It’s not entirely clear he was stumped and looking for help with a diagnosis; he may have used the film as a pop med quiz, but I don’t think so.  I think he wants sincere input.

I’d love to help the guy, but like most of his followers, I can only sit on the sidelines for this one.  Like Seemasugandh : “Fun game… thnx for posting it. ”

It looks like the earthquake that occurred one week ago is on it’s way to one-word infamy.  Like “Katrina” and “The Tsunami”,  the temblor that ruined most everything in Haiti might forever be called “the earthquake”.  Or maybe not.  Perhaps the one word to describe chronic human suffering like this is simply “Haiti”.  Here are some random observations:

Texting is a real easy way to donate money.  No check to write, stamp to lick, number to call, VISA information to dictate, no website to type; all you do is pick up your cellphone and text 90999.  Michelle Obama asked us to and we did in record numbers.  To date this is the largest amount ever donated to a cause.

Talk about multi-tasking. CNN’S Dr. Sanjay Gupta was among the first journalists to arrive in Haiti.  When he wasn’t reporting on the desperate conditions, he was wrapping the head of an injured 15 day old infant, operating on a 12 year old girl who had concrete in her brain, and when a field hospital of Belgian doctors evacuated on alleged orders of the United Nations, Gupta remained  and single-handedly administered care all night long to about 25 patients.  The next morning he tweeted an apology for not making air time for his regular weekend program.  I know, because I’m one of his 1,193,993 followers, a number that grows by the day.  The guy is amazing.  And handsome.  And scary smart.  The best reason to watch CNN. Maybe TV.

As Shepherd Smith distinguished himself for Fox News during the Katrina debacle, I believe Gupta will personify graceful reporting that made the most difference in Haiti.  Props to ABC’s Diane Sawyer too for landing in Haiti direct from Afghanistan.  The woman is 64 years old.

God must really love the Haitian people.  My Aunt Marion, a devout Catholic, says God chooses his favorite people to suffer the most.   With all the natural disasters befalling Haiti, God can ease up on the love, just a little bit.  They’ve had enough.

Now that much of Haiti has been leveled by nature’s giant wrecking ball, there is a marvelous opportunity for regrowth done right this time.  Hopefully the good will and funds will continue to pour in.  If the Haitian Government can get out of its own way architects and contractors will design and build stronger buildings to withstand the natural disasters the island seems to attract.

The media appear disingenuous, traveling into disaster zones with all the food and water they need, while the subjects of their reports are dying.   Crews come fully contained with all their own supplies so as not to drain local resources, but still, the stock answer by every network, that they can’t help people with food or water but they can help by “telling their story”, quickly got a little old.

I’m not blaming reporters for having their own supplies, but it does underscore a continuing problem.  Journalists made their way into New Orleans after the hurricane when the military didn’t seem to know how.  Several years later, it’s the same in Haiti.  Every news outlet manages to get planes, staff and supplies into a disaster zone, but governments can’t.  Are they too big for the task?  Too bureaucratic? Too complacent?

This earthquake  mobilized ordinary people on twitter, texts and blogs in a decentralized form of communication that is taking over.  Previously known as a “grass roots” effort, viral information makes Phone companies, airlines, and governments seem out of touch.  The phone companies and U.S. State Department were overwhelmed with panicked callers in the days after the quake. Most people only got a recording.   It was Facebook and twitter and the internet that spread the word of how bad things were.

In the end, for all the high-tech ways people are connecting to this disaster, Haiti tonight is in the Middle Ages.  With no electricity, no food, scarce water, there are corpses in the streets and broken bones held in cardboard splints.  Haiti remains a place of profound suffering and despair.