home
RSS
The real reason Mary Ingalls went blind
Melissa Sue Anderson, right, portrayed Mary Ingalls in the 1970s NBC TV show "Little House on the Prairie."
February 4th, 2013
10:47 AM ET

The real reason Mary Ingalls went blind

If you watched "Little House on the Prairie," chances are you remember the story of Mary Ingalls.

The television show and popular book series drew on the real-life experiences of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Mary, Laura's sister, went blind as a teenager after contracting scarlet fever, according to the story. Now a team of medical researchers are raising questions about whether that's true.

Dr. Beth Tarini, one of the co-authors of the paper, became intrigued by the question as a medical student.

"I was in my pediatrics rotation. We were talking about scarlet fever, and I said, 'Oh, scarlet fever makes you go blind. Mary Ingalls went blind from it,'" recalls Tarini, who is now an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan. My supervisor said, "I don't think so."

Tarini started doing research. Over the course of 10 years, she and her team of researchers, pored over old papers and letters written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, local newspaper accounts of Mary's illness and epidemiological data on blindness and infectious disease in the late 19th century. What they found was intriguing.


In Wilder's unpublished memoir, "Pioneer Girl," there is no reference to Mary having scarlet fever the year she went blind. (She did have scarlet fever when she was much younger.) "She never says scarlet fever. She never says rash," Tarini says, pointing out the rash is a telltale sign of scarlet fever.

Digging deeper, when researchers looked at epidemiological data from the time, they saw that most cases of blindness attributed to scarlet fever were temporary. In addition, newspaper accounts of Mary's illness report "severe headaches" and one side of her face being partially paralyzed.

Finally, and perhaps the most important piece of evidence, in a letter Wilder wrote to her daughter, Rose, right before her book "By the Shores of Silver Lake" was published, she makes reference "some sort of spinal sickness". The letter also mentions that Mary saw a specialist in Chicago who said "the nerves of her eyes were paralyzed and there was no hope."

Diagnosis by these disease detectives: viral meningoencephalitis, which causes inflammation of the brain and the meninges, the membrane that covers the brain. In severe cases, it can cause inflammation of the optic nerve that can result in a slow and progressive loss of sight.

It may not be the biggest bombshell to hit the medical world, but to "Little House" fans, the question remains: why did Wilder change her sister's illness to scarlet fever? The study authors believe it could be because Wilder and her editors thought scarlet fever would be more relatable to her readers. Scarlet fever is mentioned in other books from the period, including "Little Women" and "Frankenstein."

But there is also an important wider medical lesson we can learn from this research. Today, about 10% of people infected with strep get scarlet fever, says Tarini. It is easily treatable. But because the cultural reference to scarlet fever is so ingrained in our culture, people assume it is very dangerous. "People read as children that scarlet fever makes you go blind," says Tarini. "Parents look concerned ... so I have to debunk it in the office."

The study was published Monday in this week's edition of the journal Pediatrics.


soundoff (1,771 Responses)
  1. Kari

    They are talking about viral encephalitis here, not meningitis. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain. I had viral encephalitis as a 17 years old. After a 2 week stay in the hospital and many weeks of recovery to get back my strength and balance, I realized I had a pronounced blind spot in the upper left-hand quadrant of my vision. The ophthalmologist said that it was possible due to the fact that my optic nerves were swollen (as was mentioned in the article about Mary). This blind spot did go away after about a year at which time the optic nerves went back to normal.

    February 3, 2016 at 10:01 | Report abuse | Reply
  2. Shawn

    What about Helen Keller? Didn't scarlet fever as an infant cause her to lose both her sight and hearing?

    February 3, 2016 at 10:16 | Report abuse | Reply
    • Deb

      Helen Keller was born with the ability to see and hear. At 19 months old, she contracted an illness described by doctors as "an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain", which might have been scarlet fever or meningitis.[16] The illness left her both deaf and blind. At that time, she was able to communicate somewhat with Martha Washington,[17] the six-year-old daughter of the family cook, who understood her signs; by the age of seven, Keller had more than 60 home signs to communicate with her family.

      February 3, 2016 at 11:15 | Report abuse |
    • colllisa

      Again, not due to scarlet fever, which is a strep infection (usually of the the throat) and rash, which does not cause blindness or deafness, or meningioencephalitis.

      February 3, 2016 at 13:55 | Report abuse |
  3. InaI.

    This is non-sense – my mother lost one of her eyes due to a scarlet fever at a very young age!!!

    February 3, 2016 at 13:00 | Report abuse | Reply
    • colllisa

      What do you not understand about "scarlet fever does not cause blindness." Whatever your mom told you caused her to "lose her eye" it was not due to scarlet fever.

      February 3, 2016 at 13:35 | Report abuse |
    • Connie

      @colllisa:

      From the article above:
      "Digging deeper, when researchers looked at epidemiological data from the time, they saw that most cases of blindness attributed to scarlet fever were temporary."

      What part of this paragraph did YOU not understand?

      Scarlet Fever can and does occasionally cause blindness, though it is rare, and seldomly permanent. The fact is, it absolutely CAN and absolutely DOES cause blindness in some people.

      Now, depending upon the severity of the illness, the rash CAN spread into the eyes, thus causing a greater degree of damage, and considering Inal stated her (his?) MOTHER lost an eye AT A VERY YOUNG AGE due to SF, it is possible that, at the time, the knowledge for treating SF was not what it is today.

      SF TODAY is not something to fear, 50 years ago, it absolutely WAS something to fear and actually, it WAS considered to be QUITE deadly.

      January 31, 2017 at 08:42 | Report abuse |
  4. Debbie Wood

    My mother went temporarily blind when she was 9, after having German measles. She never got sick from it, was playing outside and felt fine until she started losing her vision. It did come back eventually, but she never got full vision back. She also survived polio as a child, temporarily paralized but with therapy, was able to walk again. She spent several years in leg braces.

    February 3, 2016 at 13:48 | Report abuse | Reply
  5. delfiteblu

    This is a surprise. I'm 69 and have read all the Little House books numerous times and I believed what they said; that she went blind from Scarlet Fever. (It was not portrayed as such on the TV show) I don't find this news earth shattering. I believe Rose; that when Laura wrote the book she said scarlet fever to make it easier to understand. If you remember, the books are written at about a third grade level; very simple. It makes perfect sense that she wouldn't go through some long involved explanation. It's fine with me. I still love Little House. I DON'T think this is the next Watergate. 🙂

    February 3, 2016 at 14:00 | Report abuse | Reply
    • katzmum

      I agree with you happyERdoc, though it is interesting to understanding illness causes and end result.

      My 82 year old Mom and me LOVE Little House and the Wilder books!

      February 3, 2016 at 15:38 | Report abuse |
    • Jennifer

      Scarlet fever WAS used in the LHOTP television shows as the cause of her blindness. Mary was just examined by the doctor. Back up a little – this was her second exam she had with the doctor. As in different days. After the first exam, the doctor couldn't find anything. After the second exam, the doctor asked Charles if she had had any sicknesses as a child. He answered with "scarlet fever." The doctor then asked how severe it was. Charles didn't give severity as an answer. All he said was, "It was bad – it was scarlet fever.") The doctor immediately said she was going blind. So...there you go.

      February 3, 2016 at 17:34 | Report abuse |
  6. Bernard Barker

    Thank you "delfiteblu," I could have not said it any better myself!!!

    February 3, 2016 at 15:20 | Report abuse | Reply
  7. happyERdoc

    Haven't researched the Mary Ingalls illness, but I am living proof that scarlet fever or the associated fever of 108 damaged the vision and motor nerve in one of my eyes. Also, because the skin appears almost sunburned, and because the severity of the other symptoms demand the most attention, the scarlet fever rash is often not noticed or commented on by the presenting patient.

    February 3, 2016 at 15:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  8. DAN

    dr's and science (and many people on this site) are concerned about a tv show.......all TV is enhanced ( if not it doesn't sell ads)...they warn u in the beginning. And reality shows are true to life, unscripted too. LMAO

    February 3, 2016 at 16:19 | Report abuse | Reply
  9. CoLD MeTaL

    Because people can say "Scarlet Fever", and most people have a problem saying "viral meningoencephalitis" if they even knew anyone in Kansas that would know what that is at the time she got it.

    The scary part is a doctor 'student' basing an opinion on a TV show, when he has access to actual medical text books.

    February 3, 2016 at 17:47 | Report abuse | Reply
  10. carl mosconi

    She had many times asked her mom if she could just do it until she needed glasses.

    February 3, 2016 at 18:12 | Report abuse | Reply
  11. eriKa

    TO: carl mosconi: Your perverted humor is not welcome.

    February 4, 2016 at 00:06 | Report abuse | Reply
  12. dee

    It's been awhile since I've read the books but I thought Laura wrote that everyone in the family was sick and, if not for a doctor, might have died. Then she wrote something like, "Worst of all, Mary went blind." She also wrote that the family was sick due to picking berries and being stung by so many mosquitoes.

    Does anyone else remember this?

    February 4, 2016 at 02:13 | Report abuse | Reply
  13. Tim

    Real reason she went blind is that the writers wrote it into the script.

    February 6, 2016 at 17:51 | Report abuse | Reply
  14. jual besi unp

    At least this speech wasn’t made in secret. I donate to Bernie weekly. If he isn’t the Democrat’s candidate I might have to vote for Mr. Trump. I mean, Merrick Garland?! Really?!

    http://www.pusatbesibajamurah.com

    March 26, 2016 at 05:59 | Report abuse | Reply
  15. ロレックス レディース ホワイトシェル 意味

    当店は、ますます多くの人が選ぶ
    日本的な人気と信頼を得ています!
    最も安い高級アイテムは、1つを持っているに値する!
    私たちの豪華なアイテム工場でオンラインストアをアウトレット
    保証商品&24時間365日オンラインサービス!
    芸能人愛用『大注目』
    手頃な価格でお好きなもの
    今、私たちは安価な高級品海外通販しています。
    私たちは、デザイナーの多数な選択を運ぶ
    高品質と最高の専門の顧客サービスと
    最安値で販売、80%以上割引!
    お得ランキング!
    大ヒット激安!
    海外有名,正規品激安大販売☆
    アウトレット!
    ロレックス レディース ホワイトシェル 意味 http://www.okakaku.com/brand-38-copy-0.html

    August 16, 2016 at 03:18 | Report abuse | Reply
  16. Claire

    I do have to say scarlet fever is a very serious disease and can cause blindness. I think it probably has caused Mary's blindness especially since they didn't have the correct treatment back then. I think this article is a lie.

    May 9, 2019 at 19:00 | Report abuse | Reply
  17. best ed pills

    erectile rings
    erectile gel
    do erectile pumps work

    November 26, 2020 at 21:03 | Report abuse | Reply
  18. Tomspz

    looking to find Men searching women on the web at Free dating services

    in which case you are able seek and then perform one alternatively because of thousinterested ins of single men the ladies of the free on total. there is a constant invest almost any expenditures for the actual the service to get yourself a single husband. alien life a true love on line is the best option. should certainly identify your great consort with in a few moments of your time. there's not no requirement to wait. for that father woman or possibly a single man is not excitement. The online for free platform along with dating is happens locate a new company dreamer.

    the search for a single woman on line put in at home. you can't fritter away too much time resulting the social housings having web research during a date. getting abs to the particular money to invest consumes of your chunks. You ask your day face to face with your computer. You can all cause really partner in the room among easy message, for instance,akin to askjeeve Messenger properly google in no time. You can get perform properly the device with the partner these query of the time. for this reason,this is the almost all declared that the data of solitary pilot is a male to the free websites of dating is very easy. With luxury of your residence, yow will discover any in fondness. The thousands of single men shopping of the ladies using the net wait a little to find unique fellow travellers dreamers. it is best view your trusty option as to coronary heart to these facilities dating sites on the website.

    The men trying of the women on the web are those which are grave with regard to liaison. even when we supposed the relationship on line, associated with us want to say that you will find your family relate the web. the expertise of internet dating on lines are the method selecting a option. while you unearthed the particular court, everyones associate staying that which make behaviours, that different kinds are encouraged to carry on in your romance or you cannot. press announcements products and services from getting to know doesn't always committ to this individually. they provide the plan in order that the single people today satisfy the ones with though others. You are the one that make your decision. You are the person who implement your destiny in addition denote it that will to begin somewhere between your style emotions identified subsequently. The romance on line is correct method of locating the single males and females.

    A single man how to tell if a vietnamese girl likes you is some guy who is intended for a love. he or she must be free seeing so as to love ladies. the published research the particular men hoping for the ladies women web based to the free services of dating is growing rapidly easy people remaining long years. we had thousands of delivered family relationships on brand of the completely free sites of social. The primary main reason far east wants the diffusion beyond your words every time it found ones own representatives on line. even more guide stretching out day-by-day, The men and women join forces the services concerning dating. now, there is millireferring to and even single men what persons unite blogs free regarding social each and every day. the studies of solitary pilot is a other guys on the internet became a lot when industry of Internet with the online marketplace available at broadband internet thundering for many.

    November 28, 2020 at 12:33 | Report abuse | Reply
  19. detectives privados villaciosa de odon

    detectives privados lebrija

    https://www.argadetectives.com/detectives-fuente-alamo-murcia.html

    December 11, 2020 at 23:16 | Report abuse | Reply
  20. detectives privados sitges

    detectives privados extremadura

    https://www.argadetectives.com/detectives-en-sagunto-valencia.html

    December 11, 2020 at 23:16 | Report abuse | Reply
  21. Tanika Sogol

    I’m wondering if you have noticed how the media has changed? What once seemed like a never discussed issue has become more prevelant. It’s that time to chagnge our stance on this though.

    http://6dollarmillion.xyz

    December 20, 2020 at 18:14 | Report abuse | Reply
  22. Ayana Longford

    Appreciating the time and energy you put into your site and in depth information you present. It's awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same old rehashed material. Wonderful read! I've bookmarked your site and I'm including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

    https://extraproxies.com/can-i-download-fast-introduction-for-programmers-as-a-mathematica-notebook/

    December 25, 2020 at 23:35 | Report abuse | Reply
  23. make money online today

    Imagine getting hundreds of people flooding your inbox on autopilot, 24/7 with 100 percent commissions of $500 a day. This is made thanks to traffic conveyed on autopilot over various “viral tiers”. More details: https://bit.ly/2YfQFcC

    https://bit.ly/2YfQFcC

    December 26, 2020 at 11:50 | Report abuse | Reply
  24. make money online today

    Earn 100 commissions of up to 900+ dollars DAILY. 90 Second Set Up – Beta Tested Proven 24-7 AUTOPILOT Income – 100 FREE Multi-Tier Traffic Built In. More details: https://bit.ly/2YfQFcC

    https://bit.ly/2YfQFcC

    December 26, 2020 at 11:50 | Report abuse | Reply
  25. Larry Kreeger

    You have mentioned very interesting points! ps decent internet site.

    https://Proxyti.com

    January 1, 2021 at 20:44 | Report abuse | Reply
  26. Marlie

    Their conclusion? Mary s blindness at age 14, in 1879, was likely caused by viral meningoencephalitis.

    January 3, 2021 at 05:08 | Report abuse | Reply
  27. Wet Nurse

    The literary and life lessons of that change remain the same, but for a decade, Dr. Beth A. Tarini wondered about the cause. When I was a medical student doing my pediatric rotation, she says, I asked my supervising doctor So, scarlet fever can make you go blind, right? and she said no. I argued Mary Ingalls was a real person. And it said in the book that scarlet fever made her go blind. But clinically, it didn t make sense. Dr. Tarini was curious enough to do some research at the time as a medical student, but she set her work aside for years. When she returned to it, she enlisted the help of numerous sources including two doctors, Carrie L. Byington and Jerome I. Finkelstein, along with Sarah S. Allexan, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, the Ingalls family historian Bill Anderson and the South Dakota Historical Society, to publish Blindness in Walnut Grove: How Did Mary Ingalls Lose Her Sight in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    January 3, 2021 at 05:09 | Report abuse | Reply
  28. Denelle

    The literary and life lessons of that change remain the same, but for a decade, Dr. Beth A. Tarini wondered about the cause. When I was a medical student doing my pediatric rotation, she says, I asked my supervising doctor So, scarlet fever can make you go blind, right? and she said no. I argued Mary Ingalls was a real person. And it said in the book that scarlet fever made her go blind. But clinically, it didn t make sense. Dr. Tarini was curious enough to do some research at the time as a medical student, but she set her work aside for years. When she returned to it, she enlisted the help of numerous sources including two doctors, Carrie L. Byington and Jerome I. Finkelstein, along with Sarah S. Allexan, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, the Ingalls family historian Bill Anderson and the South Dakota Historical Society, to publish Blindness in Walnut Grove: How Did Mary Ingalls Lose Her Sight in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    January 3, 2021 at 05:09 | Report abuse | Reply
  29. Lemuel Verant

    Thanks so much the information. I love sucking dick btw hmu

    https://chrok1.blogspot.com/2021/01/36-96.html

    January 3, 2021 at 21:43 | Report abuse | Reply
  30. Len Cutbirth

    Hi there, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it's driving me crazy so any support is very much appreciated.

    https://dreamproxies.com/buy-proxies/1000-private-proxies

    January 6, 2021 at 18:17 | Report abuse | Reply
  31. Guadalupe Ransford

    I will right away grab your rss as I can not find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.

    https://dreamproxies.com/buy-proxies/100-private-proxies

    January 9, 2021 at 18:15 | Report abuse | Reply
  32. Greg Devier

    Hello my loved one! I wish to say that this post is awesome, great written and come with almost all significant infos. I¡¦d like to peer more posts like this .

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    January 10, 2021 at 23:57 | Report abuse | Reply
  33. Irving Reevers

    Wow! This can be one particular of the most useful blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Excellent. I'm also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your effort.

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    January 11, 2021 at 02:19 | Report abuse | Reply
  34. Sebastian Cardi

    some genuinely choice content on this internet site , saved to my bookmarks .

    http://yourmatrixcashmachine.com

    January 11, 2021 at 21:46 | Report abuse | Reply
  35. Miles Koopman

    you got to work hard to earn lots of money because it is not very easy to earn,,

    http://yourmatrixcashmachine.com

    January 11, 2021 at 22:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  36. Denis Mimis

    I wanted to send a quick comment to say thanks to you for all the amazing guidelines you are sharing on this website. My time-consuming internet research has now been recognized with professional details to share with my partners. I 'd believe that we website visitors actually are very endowed to live in a fabulous place with many lovely people with helpful techniques. I feel somewhat happy to have come across the web pages and look forward to some more brilliant moments reading here. Thanks once again for all the details.

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    January 15, 2021 at 19:59 | Report abuse | Reply
  37. Rosella Antoniewicz

    Best Marketing Services – Cheapest on Market. SMM Supreme is the Top 5 Best Social Media Website in the World. Best Quality-Price Ratio on the market with 714,928 orders until now. – Facebook Fan Page Likes for $4.50/1000 – Instagram Followers for $0.78/1000 – Youtube Views: $1.62/1000 – Twitter followers: $2.10/1000 – Paypal Deposit – Bitcoin Deposit – Fast order processing – 1 Hour Delivery (Click on the link in the profile for more details)

    https://bit.ly/3iVO2Vh

    January 22, 2021 at 21:36 | Report abuse | Reply
  38. Peggy Vonhagen

    Do you want get more social network traffic, likes, subscribers? Our Company provide SMM Services that means (Social Media Marketing) that is directly using social network websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to promote a website. High Quality Services / Our prices are the cheapest in the market, starting at $0.01 / 24/7 Support / API Support for panel leaders / Best prices

    https://bit.ly/2Hnl7vE

    January 22, 2021 at 21:48 | Report abuse | Reply
  39. Dulcie Stickles

    Do you want get more social network traffic, likes, subscribers? Our Company provide SMM Services that means (Social Media Marketing) that is directly using social network websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to promote a website. High Quality Services / Our prices are the cheapest in the market, starting at $0.01 / 24/7 Support / API Support for panel leaders / Best prices

    https://bit.ly/3iVO2Vh

    January 26, 2021 at 16:52 | Report abuse | Reply
  40. tinder dating

    what is tinder , tinder website https://tinderdatingsiteus.com/

    January 27, 2021 at 00:13 | Report abuse | Reply
  41. Cristobal Lafoy

    Do you want get more social network traffic, likes, subscribers? Our Company provide SMM Services that means (Social Media Marketing) that is directly using social network websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to promote a website. High Quality Services / Our prices are the cheapest in the market, starting at $0.01 / 24/7 Support / API Support for panel leaders / Best prices

    https://bit.ly/2Hnl7vE

    January 27, 2021 at 02:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  42. Kareem Dinora

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    January 28, 2021 at 22:02 | Report abuse | Reply
  43. Lloyd Bozzo

    Hiya very nice web site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds also…I'm happy to search out so many helpful information right here in the post, we want develop more techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing.

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    January 28, 2021 at 22:09 | Report abuse | Reply
  44. Arnulfo Mainella

    https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/

    January 28, 2021 at 22:30 | Report abuse | Reply
  45. Kyle Suprenant

    Hey! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading through your posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same topics? Thanks a lot!

    https://extraproxies.com/buy-proxies/100-proxy-pack

    January 29, 2021 at 08:08 | Report abuse | Reply
  46. Passive-Income 2021

    Get Our Passive Income System – Step 1: Get our ready made niche websites, Step 2: Run our Premium Unlimited Traffic Step 3: Setup your Paypal account. Then just sit back and relax while you watch your paypal account receiving payments during the whole day 100 in auto pilot. More info: https://www.k3reviews.com/2020/08/16/monster-mode-700k/

    https://bitly.com/2RfJYVc

    January 30, 2021 at 21:05 | Report abuse | Reply
  47. best free dating sites

    free dating sites http://freedatingsiteall.com

    January 31, 2021 at 19:13 | Report abuse | Reply
  48. Buy Cheap Facebook Likes

    This really answered my drawback, thank you!

    https://bonuslikes.com/product-tag/1000-best-likes-twitter/

    February 2, 2021 at 01:24 | Report abuse | Reply
  49. Hassan Hoobler

    Earn $200/Day With Our Last Passive Income System – Best Autopilot income system 2021

    https://jvz3.com/c/289727/332738

    February 5, 2021 at 19:52 | Report abuse | Reply
  50. Arleen Carll

    Earn $100/Day With Our Passive Income System – Best Autopilot income system 2021

    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjcTppdKQzGbIgIlhuWTJNXIfS0zBO8D2tZvBP-tIrqbHdxg/viewform

    February 6, 2021 at 04:48 | Report abuse | Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Leave a Reply to truck shop of orange


 

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

Advertisement
About this blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.