Marty and Max: Perspective

In 1889, Charles Duell was the Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office. He was widely quoted as having stated that the patent office would soon shrink in size and eventually close, because, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Now this is before iTunes, air conditioning, high speed chairlifts and sliced bread (which was invented in 1928).

On a whim I asked my bride what she thought the greatest invention of her lifetime was. She pondered for a moment and then said, “the wound vac.” Not at all what I was expecting. A wound vac uses negative pressure (suction) which pulls fluid and dead tissue from a wound over time, and allows wounds to heal faster and cleaner. In her world, it is life saving. A puss sucker never crossed my mind, however, it was a moment of both enlightenment and reflection.