ShmoopTube

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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by an informed medical diagnosis.

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Because WebMD isn't always the best option.

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Well, check out the following passage.

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Meningitis.

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All right, well, which of the following statements

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best defines meningitis?

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And here are the potential answers.

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[ doorbell ] [ mumbles ] All right.

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Time for Dr. Shmoop, MD.

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How do we best define this deadly condition?

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Well, we've gotta consider all the information presented in the text.

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For instance, take a look at option B.

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While meningitis does involve an inflamed spinal cord,

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it's not caused by traumatic injury.

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It's caused by viruses, bacteria, and certain drugs.

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We can also eliminate option C.

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Because there are multiple causes for meningitis,

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it doesn't make sense to just define it as a side effect of drugs.

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It's like an interview on reality television.

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It isn't giving us the whole picture.

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Option A can be ruled out, as well.

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A headache is one of the symptoms of meningitis,

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but that's not what defines the illness.

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It's a lot more serious than that.

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You can't just grab an over-the-counter bottle of Mencedrin,

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the meningitis medicine.

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Option D does the best job of defining meningitis.

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It's a deadly condition in which the brain and spinal cord

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become inflamed.

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So if WebMD is concerned with our headaches, maybe we should

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turn our music down. Or, you know, uh, go to an actual doctor.

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Not Dr. Shmoop.

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All doctors to the E.R.

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