I'm thinking of making a thread a day for the next week or so about the fascinating subject of Medicine and it's development throughout history. These threads will discuss various break through, significant figures in the medical world and various other bits of information. Would anybody be interested in reading these threads? For this thread, I intend to focus on Cerebrospinal Fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the clear, colorless fluid that fills the brain's ventricles, the four cavities of the brain that are also connected to the central canal of the spinal cord. CSF also surrounds the brain and spinal cord providing a useful cushion against shock. However, CSF provides a much more useful tool for doctors. By inserting a needle into the spine's lumbar region CSF can be extracted and used for testing of various illnesses. For instance, a cloudy CSF (remember it is a clear liquid) may indicate meningitis and the cause of the meningitis (bacterial, viruses or fungi) is sometimes distinguishable by the color of the CFS and the levels of protein, glucose and white blood cells. Finding blood in CSF is also an indication of a possible hemorrhage. Edit: Evidently the threads will be longer, but I did not wish to waste time writing a fully developed discussion on the topic if I am to be mocked for it.