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You can try your hand at Past Puzzlers, too!
The Scenario:
The Green River, in Williamstown, flows through bucolic countryside carrying the waters of melted snow and mountain springs through pastures of dairy cattle and past fields of corn and hay. It flows north through town and turns west into the Hoosac River before finding its way south into the Hudson River and on into the Atlantic Ocean.
What a great place to swim. Or so it seems. After biking for 40 or 50 kilometers, Ethan thought he'd find a secluded spot and take a dip to cool off. It worked wonders, and he completed the rest of his trip with renewed energy. But about two days later he began to experience some pain in his left ear. It felt plugged up, like something was in the ear, and there was even a little discharge. When he pulled on his ear, it was sore.
Questions:
Answer:
Ethan has an infection of the outer ear canal, known in doctor parlance as "otitis externa." If you could look into the ear canal it would appear swollen, the lining tissues would be irritated, and there would be an abnormal white material accumulated in the canal, possibly blocking the canal. The material is pus and debris that accumulates due to an infection of the canal from contaminated water. Not a pretty site.
Antibiotic ear drops will take care of his infection. If left untreated, there is a chance that the infection will burrow deeper into the tissues around the ear canal and cause a more serious soft tissue infection, but this is pretty rare. An external canal infection is not an emergency; it's just uncomfortable.
Due to all the debris, you may not be able to see the ear drum, normally easily visible. If you could see it, and if it were very red and inflamed, it would tell you that he also had an "otitis media" or infection of the middle ear chamber. Ethan doesn't have this, but if he did, you might expect him to have more of a severe earache, possibly with a fever. Antibiotic pills taken by mouth would remedy this situation.
What does this tell you about Williamstown? Well, those cows dotting the banks certainly are lovely to look at, but the bacteria from their manure may wash into the river causing unsafe swimming conditions. Don't feel too badly for Ethan, however. He'll feel better soon. And the trout fishing is great.
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