26

thursday

Sure, a career in medicine brings with it excitement, big bucks, and the kind of job satisfaction you can only get when you spend your days saving lives and such, but who has the time and energy to pursue one? Forget about those endless hours reading textbooks and watching boring films of medical procedures—I’m trying to cure cancer over here, not put myself to sleep. Isn’t there a way to speed things up a little? The organizers of “The Cartoon Medicine Show: Animated Cartoons From the Collection of the National Library of Medicine” say “Hell, yes.” Featuring two programs of animated shorts “used to advance medical science, train doctors and nurses, and educate the public,” the series offers aspiring physicians with little-to-no attention span a colorful crash course in everything from venereal disease to sanitary food preparation. Start writing your Nobel Prize acceptance speech when the films show at 6 p.m. at the National Academy of Sciences Building, Auditorium, 2100 C St. NW. Free. For reservations call (202) 334-2436. (Matthew Borlik)