h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.h2g2.com/A494336

Good evening! I've just finished up a factual article on the birth defect call hydrocephalus, and would like to submit it for peer review and hopefully even recommendation for the Edited Guide someday soon. *happy, hopeful look* As far as I'm concerned it looks good and is done. I myself had hydrocephalus as a child and expect to experience it again in adulthood, but this time I don't include any personal experiences in the article because I have no warm and fuzzy memories of it. Also since its a bit more technical that my previous article I didn't go for the humorous or anecdotal approach this time, but I feel its still well written. Please take a look if you have time.

Respectfully,

Pixie Writer

This is interesting but could you add more information? Does hydrocephalus only happen in people with spina bifida? What causes it? Why do 80% of patients who have childhood hydrocephalus and have a shunt placed in their bodies, develop clinical depression by adulthood? Why does the shunt need a button - couldn't the fluid drain continuously?

More would be better, I think.

Dear Sal;

I've added more of what I know, per your request. I'll have to look into your question about Spina Bifida, that will take me a few hours. Thanks for the feedback!!

Respectfully,

Pixie

Pixie, this is an excellent article, very well written, very informative.
I myself know two children with the condition.
One was born to a schoolfriend of mine, she is now an adult, and relatively healthy.
The other, Thomas, went to school with my son until this summer when he passed away.
I was informed that "the shunt had malfunctioned" but this meant nothing to me, and I thought it indelicate to make more enquiries of the family.
Now I understand better what happened to Thomas, and I thank you for that.

I hope you remain healthy...
God Bless you.
~Galaxy Babe~
p.s. The children and teachers at my son's special school planted a tree {at the school} in memory of Thomas after his funeral. Just a few weeks ago they were all given a daffodil bulb each to plant around the tree. A living memory to a wonderful boy.

Gary Larson ran into a problem here with one of his cartoons... it featured william tell , and his 'other' son, with a huge head and a small apple - and the caption went something like "Tell's other son came to a tragicly early death".

Apparently he got a lot of hatemail from hycepholephalacs. Ooops.

Hi Pixie

A little bit of clarification went a long way there.

I wondered whether it was only people who had spina bifida that suffered with hydrocephalus because there was a boy in my class at school (long time ago so hard to remember the details) with hydrocephalus but I didn't think he had spina bifida.

Also, I have an idea that when spinal fluid won't drain away properly, it can fill the ventricles of the brain, pushing the brain outward from the inside. It was thought remarkable that some of the people with this problem were very clever, because their x-rays showed that their brains were hollow shells. The brain was almost like a thick layer of skin, pressed against the inside of the skull. The only clue that these people were at all different was that they had a peculiar way of walking - they lifted their feet a bit too high.

It's a fascinating subject and I hope you can find some more information for the article. If you do add some more, be sure to put another message on this thread.

Sal

Editorial Note: This thread has been moved out of the Peer Review forum because this entry has now been recommended for the Edited Guide.

If they have not been along already, the Scout who recommended your entry will post here soon, to let you know what happens next. Meanwhile you can find out what will happen to your entry here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/SubEditors-Process

Congratulations!