Crimson Tide Summary and Analysis

"Crimson Tide" highlights the curious case of Christine Drurer, the blushing anchorwoman. Christine was a young woman with a promising career in television news. However, she had a penchant for blushing during her news segment. The blushing would redden her face, and perhaps worse, make her self-conscious and uncomfortable. The blushing was not new to her, but Christine had worked hard to get past it in her normal activities. While make-up could conceal the redness of her face, it did nothing to cover up her self-consciousness and awkward reaction to it.

Gawande explains blushing as both physiological and psychological. The rush of blood to the face is involuntary and uncontrollable, however, what triggers it involves thought and feeling. Blushing was once thought of as the physical manifestation of shame. Other ideas suggest that blushing results from the possibility of...