(no subject)

While reflecting on possible rhymes for 'angioplasty' (a long story culminating in a friend challenging me to write a sonnet on that subject, I came across the term 'chimeraplasty', which is not taught in Care of magical Creatures, though it sounds as if it ought to be.

This new medical technique sounds rather alarming to my untutored mind, prompting visions of creepy small gasmask wearing children:


The article I found on the subject also offers the arresting news that in medical terminology 'chimera' denotes an individual composed of two distinct sets of genetic material. This can happen naturally, apparently (something to do with two embryos fusing at an early stage) but is also what happens to people who recieve bone marrow transplants.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9736

So there you are: you might have met - and, if you're on the bone marrow transplant list, be willing to create - a chimera, without even knowing it. just don't tell Hagrid there are chimeras in the muggle world, or he might misunderstand ;-)

Sometimes I wish scientists would think about the connotations of their borrowing from classical mythology. Most of the time i find it amusing, though.