Editing 699: Trimester

{{comic
| number    =699
| date      =February 8, 2010
| title     =Trimester
| image     =trimester.png
| titletext =Also, it's not like anyone actually calls up the Nobel committee to double-check things.
}}

==Explanation==
While some pregnancies are different than others, a universal truth is that a naturally-born baby will always exit a woman's body through the vagina. However, in this comic, [[Cueball]] (wearing a white lab coat and holding a clipboard) tells a surprised [[Megan]] that until the second trimester (3-6 months into pregnancy), the baby has not yet decided on its method of egress and may choose any orifice through which to be born, including the mouth, anus, nose, etc. This does not normally happen in real life.{{Citation needed}} The only case where a baby is not born through the vagina is during a {{w|Cesarean section}} procedure, in which a surgical incision is made in the mother's abdomen to remove the baby.

The caption reveals the truth: in fact, Cueball simply bought the lab coat, and is not a medical professional at all - he's likely just an average guy, and may well know less about medicine than Megan does. The moral is that you cannot trust someone simply because they outwardly present themselves as an authority.{{actual citation needed}}

Impersonating medical professionals, or other authorities such as police, does happen in real life, and is typically illegal. In the US and other countries, it is also against the law to practice medicine without a license, so Cueball is likely committing a crime.

The expectation that a person in a white coat is a medical expert, or at least a scientist, can be seen in the studies of the placebo effect: people who receive a "sugar pill" from a person who has the authority implied by wearing a lab coat will experience a greater placebo effect than those who receive identical pills from a person in ordinary clothes. This leads to more doctors wearing a white coat while working, and due to that a reinforcement of the expectation of white coats belonging to doctors. In some medical schools students receive a white coat as part of their graduation and qualification ceremony.

The title text implies also that in addition to faking being a doctor, he has also faked being a {{w|Nobel Prize|Nobel laureate}}, on the logic that most people will not bother to verify this claim. This is likely harder to get away with, as the Nobel Prize is an extremely prestigious distinction, and it would be unlikely for it to be awarded to someone with no recognized skill or experience in a given field.{{citation needed}}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is wearing a lab coat, and talking to Megan, who is sitting on a desk. He also has a clipboard.]
:Cueball: Well, until the second trimester, the baby hasn't decided which opening it will exit through.
:Megan: ''What?''
:Cueball: We'll hope for one of the lower ones, so it won't be fighting gravity.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Did you know you can just ''BUY'' lab coats?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Nobel Prize]]