Teaching anatomy to our great-grandparents

POP-UP MEDICINE A life-size cardboard manikin that students used. 

The 175-year-old National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Md., is best known these days for its PubMed database, the pre-eminent digital catalog of the biomedical literature. But like many digital giants, the library has its dusty analog past — otherwise known as a closet full of stuff. 

[...] (in 19th century) American students could flip open dozens of doors on a life-size cardboard manikin and pretend to dissect or, if they preferred, to operate. Opening still other doors illuminated the disastrous effects of alcohol, narcotics and tight corsets on the human body. 

Da Zuger A,  Art and Artistry of Our Anatomy.

Bibliografia: 


Sappol M, Svenson A, Lindgren L, Hidden Treasure: The National Library of Medicine  Blast Books (2012)

Zuger A,  Art and Artistry of Our Anatomy. The New York Times,  July 16, 2012.

Clinicians Are From Mars and Pathologists Are From Venus

As pathologists, we have centered our careers on the examination of specimens, data collection, information formulation, and reporting of our findings.

The further recognition of “clinically relevant” subdivisions of disease processes is desirable. It helps in the selection of appropriate treatment and prognostication for an individual patient. However, currently “clinically irrelevant” subdivisions add nothing to the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Information, either relevant or irrelevant, provides no useful purpose if it is received by the end user in an unintelligible form. As pathologists, our training is in converting data to useful information; our reports are our product and effective communication is our connection with our clinical colleagues.

Da Ruby SG. Clinician Interpretation of Pathology Reports: confusion or comprehension?


Bibliografia:


Ruby SG. Clinician interpretation of pathology reports: confusion or comprehension? Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2000 Jul;124(7):943-4.

Powsner SM, Costa J, Homer RJ. Clinicians are from Mars and pathologists are from Venus. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2000 Jul;124(7):1040-6.

Pieter Bruegel il Vecchio, Grande Torre di Babele, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.