Brian, you are absolutely right! The original reference was to Kipling. Ten point bonus question to all the AC community - can you recall a famous sci-fi book (a classic) where this term was used?
One fine morning in the middle of the Precession of the Equinoxes this 'satiable Elephant's Child asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He asked, 'How many of our diabetics have had their HbA1C this quarter ?' Then everybody said, 'Hush!' in a loud and dreadful tone, and they spanked him immediately and directly, without stopping, for a long time.
By and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, 'My HMO's have spanked me, and the PPO's have spanked me; all my government overseers have spanked me 'cause they want me to tell them what the Crocodile has for dinner!'
This story is applicable to EMR's and the modern practice of medicine on SO many levels, don't you think?
Regards,
V.
