Question: You were wrong on ...

Question: You were wrong on Doogie. He was a resident, not a full-fledged doctor. As to whether it is possible, the University of Chicago Medical School has just admitted a 12-year-old. After three years of school he will begin his residency at the age of 15. — Bob A., Oklahoma City, Okla.

Televisionary: Right you are, and wrong I was.

Young Dr. Howser was indeed a second-year resident on the series, which means the age analysis from the Harvard Medical School admissions officer I cited was slightly off the mark. (Just goes to show you what happens when you're blinded by the university name and assume anyone from there must know what they're doing.)

Embarrassing me further (oh, my powers... why have you failed me?), as you say, is the recent full-scholarship admission of a 12-year-old kid to med school at the University of Chicago. That's not quite Doogie territory, but it's darn close.

Thanks to everyone who sent me the link to the Chicago Tribune story about the child prodigy. It's rather impressive when the e-mail bludgeoning me with the error of my ways outnumbers all the spam offering me ways to get rich working from home, please my lady and, ironically, get rid of spam.

And to Rapid City, S.D.'s Laura D., who asked me how my shoe leather tastes after sending along the tale of the 12-year-old, I can't tell you. I'm still gnawing my way through the rubber sole.