Surgical Mythology

“Sophocles is wise, Euripides is wiser, but Socrates is wisest…”

The Delphian Oracle 440BC

In the recently released movie Trip to Greece, Rob and Steve visit Delphi. Here on the slopes of Mt Parnassus, Pythia the great oracle of Delphi resided in the temple of Apollo. During ancient Greek summers, this Sibyl could be consulted regarding the most auspicious times for activities such as business deals, war and marriage. This was likely done by ingesting, often via smoking, the toxic leaves of the oleander plant prior to making pronouncements. All this is familiar to Endocrine surgeons. Whilst operating on thyroid we also consult the Delphi, albeit usually without the help of hallucinogens. The Delphian node is the pre-laryngeal lymph node, the highest of level VI, just above the thyroid gland. In cases of thyroid cancer, tumour involvement at this site is highly predictive of more extensive lymph node disease. The Delphi is used to predict the need for more extensive surgery. #numericanatomyisboring #letsmakelemonade