Ring in the New Year, But Not Literally

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Albert Einstein once said, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”

Many doctors would agree. There are patients who willfully inflict medical problems on themselves, even when they have full knowledge of the behaviours and lifestyle habits that will end their lives prematurely. There are other patients who become victims of carelessness. Nine times out of ten, problems could have been avoided.

It’s time to "ring in the New Year". But a woman in Australia took those words too literally at a New Year's Eve party in 2015. The 41-year-old, who had asthma, reached into her purse for her inhaler when she began to wheeze during the festivities. Unbeknownst to her, a loose earring from her purse had become lodged in the inhaler, and with one quick puff, she inhaled it!