Polite Dissent

JSA #17 “Injustice Be Done, part 2: Cold Comfort”
David Goyer and Geoff Johns, writers
Stephen Sadowski, pencils

The JSA has been attacked by the Injustice Society and Sentinel takes a severe blow to the chest. Mr. Terrific drags him into a side room and prepares for surgery:

Mr. Terrific: The big gun of the JSA, Sentinel, just got his chest ripped apart. He’s gone into shock and he’s lost a lot of blood. We’re lucky he’s not already dead.
It’s my job to get his oxygen-starved pumper up and running again. Dr. Mid-Nite’s book on TMR is my only option other than cardiac bypass surgery.

Hold on a minute there, Mr. Terrific (a.k.a. “the World’s third-smartest-man”). Both TMR (transmyocardial revascularization) and CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) are used to treat patients with severe coronary artery disease — people who are not getting enough blood flow to the heart because of narrowed or blocked arteries. That’s not Sentinel’s problem. He had a huge branch shoved through his chest — that’s the problem. He doesn’t need TMR or CABG, he needs the damage caused by that branch repaired. If he has an oxygen-starved heart, it’s only because he’s lost a tremendous amount of blood from the injury. He needs fluids (which, to be honest, Mr. Terrific is providing) and surgical repair of the trauma ASAP, not revascularization surgery.

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Meanwhile, Dr. Mid-Nite and Black Canary enjoying a dinner date when they are ambushed by Count Vertigo. True to his name, he causes everyone in the restaurant to become dizzy and nauseated. To counteract the count’s attack, Dr. Mid-Nite injects Black Canary with meclizine and diazepam.

That’s the right idea, but probably a little overkill. Meclizine (brand names: Antivert, Bonine) is a drug similar to Dramamine that is good for treating motion sickness and dizziness. It is usually the first-line agent for treating vertigo. If the meclizine doesn’t work, then diazepam (brand name: Valium) is prescribed. Drowsiness is a significant side-effect of both of these drugs, and I suspect it would be hard to avoid with both medications taken at the same time.

Also, Diazepam is a Schedule IV Controlled Substance — which means that this is yet another example of Dr. Mid-Nite giving out controlled substances illegally without a prescription (and without a medical license, state controlled substance registration, or DEA number). “But your honor, I was just giving the Valium to my date.” Yep. That’ll go over real well.

Tags: comics medicine jsa dr. mid-nite black canary