Those of you who have gone through medical programs probably remember when you first started learning how to read x-rays.  They’d usually start us off with some easy ones, like a light bulb wedged up someone’s pelvic cavity or a drill bit stuck in a guy’s skull.  Hey guys, I found it!  Those Starter Softballs helped us build confidence and temporarily helped all our Type A Classmates stop worrying about flunking.

And then as we progressed to identifying more complicated pathology, we would often benefit from Little White Arrows that helped us hone in on the problem area.  These arrows served as radiography “Training Wheels” and I personally felt that they were helpful in improving our collective clinical acumen.

Well, it’s not an x-ray, but I found this fascinating Case of a near-40 year-old male.  Little is known about his Haircut History, and his subjective report was distinctly unhelpful.  Amateurs would likely be drawn to his chiseled jawline or erythematous external ear, while more keen observers might question why he was wearing a hoodie on a day when the temperature hit 102 degrees.  But if you look closely, there is a White Arrow pointing to the area of interest.  His wife was able to fasten a hair tie to what is referred to among scientists as a “Rat Tail,” suggesting that he, at the time of this photo, faced an important window of intervention.  Either he ended up driving to Sports Clips, or he wound up sleeping on the couch due to non-compliance. 

We may never know if this guy ended up getting better, but hopefully this fascinating case helped you all get a little better at identifying subtle Rat Tails in otherwise healthy subjects.  Thanks, White Arrow!