Editing 1471: Gut Fauna

{{comic
| number    = 1471
| date      = January 9, 2015
| title     = Gut Fauna
| image     = gut_fauna.png
| titletext = I know it seems unpleasant, but of the two ways we typically transfer them, I promise this is the one you want.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|microbiome}} is the collection of bacteria that reside in the human digestive tract. The bacteria perform several vital digestive and immune-support functions. Different compositions of bacteria, collectively referred to as {{w|gut flora}}, can be linked to risk of some diseases, while other compositions are linked to a decreased risk of some diseases and are therefore called "good bacteria". The title "Gut fauna" is a play on words. ''Fauna'' means animal life in Latin, and ''flora'' means vegetable life. However, in this context ''flora'' means bacterial life because, when microscopes were invented, microbial life was considered to be non-animal and therefore classified as "flora". For a good description of the microbiome see [http://youtu.be/5DTrENdWvvM The Invisible Universe Of The Human Microbiome].

In this comic, [[Cueball]] is visiting a doctor ([[Ponytail]]) for some unknown problem. The doctor informs him that his gut macrobiome is out of balance, which Cueball responds to with confusion over whether or not she meant the microbiome or macrobiome. A macrobiome, instead of being composed of small organisms such as bacteria, would be composed of larger organisms such as mammals. The phrase "gut fauna" would refer to any animals living inside a gut (as the word fauna refers to animals living in an ecosystem).

Cueball is right to be worried by the doctor's reference to his macrobiome, as normal humans shouldn't have large animals living inside them{{Citation needed}} with the exception of some parasites such as {{w|Helminths}} or {{w|Cestoda}}, or in some cases, the {{w|Eating live animals|consumption of live animals}} such as octopus, shrimp and eels. No animals belong natively in the {{w|human digestive system}}; all known cases of animals living permanently in the human digestive system are causes of disease. His fear is compounded when the doctor prescribes one wolf for Cueball to swallow, which is normally impossible for average humans and would, at the very least, result in major interior (or exterior) damage to [[Cueball]] and (possibly) [[Ponytail]] when the wolf resists being swallowed. Needless to say this is not common physician practice due to the likely death rate and the impossiblity of the wolf fitting inside the human stomach.{{Citation needed}}

The choice of a wolf echoes the {{w|Wolf_reintroduction#Yellowstone_National_Park_and_Central_Idaho|reintroduction of the animals}} into the macrobiome of {{w|Yellowstone National Park}} in the United States, where they have improved the balance by, in part, preying on {{w|elk}} and reducing the damage caused by their grazing.

The dialog between the characters ends with the doctor asking the patient whether he needs a glass of water, a typical question asked by health professionals (water can help patients swallow oral medication). This last phrase further extends the humorous nature of the proposition to swallow the wolf by displaying a confidence of the doctor in her choice of the treatment modality. In reality, of course, drinking a glass of water while attempting to swallow a wolf would make the latter procedure neither easier, nor more feasible.

The title text suggests that swallowing the wolf is not the worst situation that could have occurred, as the doctor refers to "another way" that the wolf could be administered. One typical way that microbiomes are restored is through {{w|fecal bacteriotherapy}}, most easily described as a "poop transfer". It could also mean transferred via suppository. In either case, the worse "other way" that the doctor is referring to is thus likely the rectal route, which (for [[Randall]]) is less preferable than attempting to swallow a live wolf. However, either way would prove physically impossible and/or lethal.

If we are to take the doctor at her word that there is indeed some sort of macrobiome inside Cueball's gut, then perhaps she has some kind of matter compression ability that would make {{w|There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly|introducing a live wolf}} a legitimate therapeutic option.

Randall has referenced {{w|wolf reintroduction}} programs before, in comic [[819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball on an examining table; Ponytail wearing a doctor's coat holding some test results.]
:Doctor: I see the problem. Your gut macrobiome is out of balance. One moment.

:[Ponytail leaves.]
:Cueball: I think you mean '''''micro'''''biome... Right?

:[Ponytail returns, slightly disheveled, carrying a momentarily docile live wolf.]
:Doctor: No. Here, swallow this.
:Cueball: That's a wolf.
:Doctor: Do you need a glass of water?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Medicine]]