Uff Da–Why Does This Hurt, Doc?
Length: 1 Hour or Less
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Level: Intermediate (majors and non-majors)
Author: Tallitsch, Robert
“Lars Johnson is a fledgling actor in L.A. California. He has just recently auditioned for a major part in a new situation comedy that is being proposed for one of the national TV networks. He has received a callback for a second audition, which means he is in serious running for the part, which would be a major ‘career maker’ for Lars. In a discussion with his agent, Lars has learned that he received a callback for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was his acting ability. However, the fact that Lars was a stereotypic Scandinavian (blonde hair, blue eyes, slight Swedish accent) also played a large role in his call-back, in that the part Lars is being considered for is that of a bumbling immigrant that has recently moved into New York City and has hooked up with a group of other young upwardly mobile adults that enjoy taking advantage of their new friend’s lack of ‘city savvy’. However, Lars’ agent has some concerns about the callback as well. The casting agent has expressed a concern that Lars might be too ‘stocky’ for the part, and so the she suggests that Lars strive to lose a minimum of ten pounds prior to the second audition and then keep it off should Lars obtain the part.
The problem chronicles abdominal pain and problems that Lars encounters over the next ten to twenty days, as well as physical examination findings and laboratory results as a result of a visit to the E.R. Students are asked to develop a diagnosis for Lars, as well as answer two anatomically related questions.”