美国国家公共电台 NPR Heart 2 Sizes Too Small? Mr. Grinch, See Your Cardiologist

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MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Let's talk about the Grinch. He's best known for his psychological problems.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH")

THURL RAVENSCROFT: (Singing) You're a foul¹ one, Mr. Grinch. You're a nasty-wasty (ph) skunk².

MARTIN: Definitely some anger and empathy issues there, and he did try to steal Christmas. But NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton wanted to understand the Grinch's physical challenge, a heart that was two sizes too small.

JON HAMILTON, BYLINE³: So I went to see a guy who specializes in hearts. His name is David Kass. He's a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University, and he's been thinking about the Grinch.

DAVID KASS: Tough problem, tough problem 'cause heart at least reputedly is two sizes too small. We in fact don't see this very much.

HAMILTON: Kass says there are conditions that effectively reduce the size of the heart, and they're no fun.

KASS: You're just going to have to have that small heart beating twice as fast. So that means you're going to feel your heart racing⁴ all the time.

HAMILTON: Which could make you grumpy. And it would definitely make it hard to do physical labor⁵. So how did the Grinch shimmy up all those chimneys and carry off every Christmas present in Whoville? I ask Kass if that would have even been possible for someone whose cardiac output was so limited.

KASS: No. He would be doing more traditional grinchy things - just sitting around, moping.

HAMILTON: Anyway, from a cardiologist point of view, the story takes an even more remarkable⁶ twist.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!")

BORIS KARLOFF: (As Narrator) And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day.

HAMILTON: Kass says this is possible, sort of.

KASS: There are situations where the human heart can fairly rapidly get large.

HAMILTON: Like when a valve suddenly ruptures⁷.

KASS: But you don't feel good when that happens. This couldn't be Grinch's issue.

HAMILTON: So Kass has a different explanation.

KASS: He's really a snake. I mean, not just any snake - he's a python.

HAMILTON: Specifically a Burmese python. That makes sense because the heart of a Burmese python is designed to grow rapidly after a big meal, like, say, a roast beast.

KASS: That would do it. His heart would get large, yeah.

HAMILTON: But Kass says the big meal hypothesis isn't perfect.

KASS: When a snake like a python has done that, does he, like, run around lifting sleds and doing - no. He looks like all of us after Thanksgiving. You know, we're on the couch. If we can watch TV, yeah, that's about it.

HAMILTON: So even a big-hearted Grinch probably would not have returned those toys to every family in Whoville. Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WELCOME CHRISTMAS")

UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Welcome Christmas while we stand heart to heart and hand in hand. Fahoo fores, dahoo dores (ph) - welcome, welcome Christmas - Christmas Day.