This is really, really bizarre! But in fairness, in some ways, Scruffy IS my alter ego. I only wish I could hold out as long as he claims to be able to!

Can I prove that I'm a real doc? Sure, all I have to do is post my GA medical license No and my DEA. Am I about to? Uh Uh. But I'll give you a hint. The MD license has 6 numbers on it, the first being a "0", my DEA has a total of 9 figures, the first 2 are letters, the next 7 are numbers. Any GA pharmacists wish to confirm the general figures? Now this is public knowledge, but the efforts that I would have to go to just to learn that little factoid for posting today is a bit extreme. I don't have a clue as to how Dr Scruffy's Florida license numbers go.

As to writing to me, I do recall some nasty troll who told me I was a busy body and to f off several months back, but my mailbox doesn't include a "bagerboi" entry. So I took the advice, and and f'd off. If it was this joker, he did get deleted. Any guys out there in cyberland wish to confirm that I return all inquiries?

Scruff, sorry about the dog. In some ways, the loss of a pet is worse than the loss of a friend or family member. We can laugh, but the pain that is felt is real.

And I spent most of last week cooling my heals in the British Museum; no phone calls, no bulletin board postings, no whining patients. Just me and the mummies.

Dr Danny, Atlanta, not Jacksonville (where ever that is)