Lessons of the Sick and Famous

Monday, 20 September 2010 | by Pat's Picks

Americans have always been fascinated by lifestyles of the rich and famous but a new website is trading on the idea that they’ll be just as interested in those of the sick and famous. The Boston Globe sat down with Dr. Mark Boguski, a pathologist by trade and founder of celebritydiagnosis.com, for an interesting Q and A. Despite what his surname might lead one to believe, Dr. Boguski searches the web for real stories of celebrities facing health problems and uses their personal stories to educate the public about conditions that may otherwise pass under the radar.

I think it’s an interesting premise—using the American appetite for gossip as a spoonful of sugar to get important information down. But the results seems to be a little loftier than the aims; Dr. Boguski says his site’s most popular searches are on a topic gossip rags have been hip to for years—celebrity diets.

A few examples of the celebrity-fueled lesson plans:

Michael Douglas’ throat cancer has been a hot search item this summer, giving a platform to discuss not only what the disease is, but the anatomy of a throat and symptoms to be on the lookout for.

The death of CBS reporter Harold Dow this summer was used as a platform to discuss asthma.

The publication of Sadie Frost’s biography was the catalyst for a discussion on postpartum depression and non-suicidal self-injury.

And David Letterman’s jokes about his “satanic dog” this summer led to a serious discussion about dog bites