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I love it when brilliant, creative scientists take the latest medical break-throughs straight from nature's gift closet. Aspirin from willow bark. Hirudin from leech saliva. Protamine from salmon sperm. And now capsaicin from red hot chili peppers, which may be useful as a gate-opening molecule to let QX-314, a derivative of the local anesthetic lidocaine, do its job as a pain blocker. Looks like we anesthesia folks are going to have to learn some new tricks yet again! Thanks go to my mother-in-law, who alerted me to the article in today's Globe about the research on this substance, already known to riot police (it's the active ingredient in pepper spray), arthritis sufferers (who might use capsaicin-containing creams), and purveyors of hot sauce.

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On the season premier of Desperate Housewives Teri Hatcher's character asks someone during a medical consultation to check "those diplomas because I want to make sure that they're not from some med school in the Philippines."

The producers had this to say to the Philippine government's outcry against the insult: "The producers of 'Desperate Housewives' and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere...There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines."

What possible intent could there have been, then?

Considering that some of the best doctors in the world come from OUTSIDE the U.S., that some of the best nurses in the U.S. are from the Philippines, and some of the worst health care in the world can be found in the U.S. system, I have to agree with those who have characterized the line as an ignorant and offensive slur.

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Happy Feast of St. Francis!

Many parishes hold a "blessing of the animals" event in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. This year it's a little delayed at our parish, probably due to the holiday weekend, but we'll be there! For our kids, who don't have pets, it's always a blessing of the stuffed animals. I'll never forget young Fr. John at our church laying a hand on my son's teddy bear and saying, "God bless SuperBlueBear." The Jesuits are great.

But back to the Franciscans - I want to say hi with a big hug to my favorite Franciscans / Franciscan affiliates: James Stewart, one of the most talented spiritual teachers I've had the privilege to hear and learn from, and Fr. Matthew Pravetz, O.F.M., who taught me the anatomy of the human body without letting me forget about the human spirit.

Finally, although St. Francis probably did NOT write the "Prayer of St. Francis," I'd like to jot it down here because it's my favorite prayer ever. With its meditative rhythm, expressive humility, and beautiful ideas, it says it all. The oldest known version was found in the December 1912 issue of a French magazine La Clochette; that version (which contains a few lines the popular English-language one tends to omit) is reproduced here too.

Prayer for Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not seek so much
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is pardoning that we are pardoned, and

It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Belle prière à faire pendant la Messe (original version):
Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de votre paix.
Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette l’amour.
Là où il y a l’offense, que je mette le pardon.
Là où il y a la discorde, que je mette l’union.
Là où il y a l’erreur, que je mette la vérité.
Là où il y a le doute, que je mette la foi.
Là où il y a le désespoir, que je mette l’espérance.
Là où il y a les ténèbres, que je mette votre lumière.
Là où il y a la tristesse, que je mette la joie.
Ô Maître, que je ne cherche pas tant à être consolé qu’à consoler,
À être compris qu’à comprendre,
À être aimé qu’à aimer,
Car c’est en donnant qu’on reçoit,
C’est en s’oubliant qu’on trouve,
C’est en pardonnant qu’on est pardonné,
C’est en mourant qu’on ressuscite à l’éternelle vie.