It seems like the program has gone by too fast. I am just
now getting comfortable with everything, so comfortable I feel like I could
stay another 5 weeks! But unfortunately, there are only 2 weeks left. The third
week was a very busy week and filled with a lot of traveling.
On Monday, we traveled within Bonn to the Museum of
Anesthesiology with Dr. Stoeckel. We were informed that Dr. Stoeckel himself is
just as important as the museum… he is an exhibit himself! He was a very
intelligent, cute old man. It was a memorable experience to be guided around
his museum by someone that has accomplished so much in the anesthesiology
department. Before he established the museum in 1995, Dr. Stoeckel worked at
the University of Bonn, as a physician in Berlin, and even developed the closed
loop anesthesia feed back system. I enjoyed walking around the museum examining
the evolution of the equipment and learning about the history. I was the most
intrigued by the fact that the city of Boston played a large part in the
history of anesthesiology. The first use of anesthesia in surgery was done at
Massachusetts General Hospital to extract a tooth. Because I was born in Boston
and most of my family lives there, I have always wanted to go back for a while.
My Aunt has even worked in Mass General and other hospitals. It is a great city
for the medical field.
In fact, Dr. Schmitto from the Hannover Medical School,
Germany’s youngest cardiovascular surgeon, spent time in Boston for research
during his fellowship. I really enjoyed Dr. Schmitto’s lecture about artificial
hearts (LVADs). Technology has
been such a significant tool in the medical field. We were even able to see the
progress of devices by comparing an older model to a newer, up and coming
model. Dr. Schmitto informed us that there is a strong need for artificial
hearts because of the rise in amount of heart failures in people. Germany
performs 350-400 cardiac transplants per year. This is only a fraction of what
the U.S. performs each year. Dr. Schmitto explained the disadvantages and
advantages of the artificial hearts, as well as compared it to a heart
transplant. For instance, the human body is sensitive to the artificial device,
which can cause the blood to coagulate, which results in malfunctions in the
device. However, there can also be some sensitivity in heart transplant
patients because the body may not respond positively with the match, or
depending on the new heart’s age, it may not last long. I believe an artificial
heart provides a great opportunity for patients because there are many
different situations and few hearts available for transplant. Dr. Schmitto left
us with great advice, “always think what is best for the patient.”
On the second day of visiting Hannover Medical School, we
had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Reimers. She studies molecular biology in
amphibian limb regeneration, as well as, research on spider silk. For the
amphibian limb regeneration research, Dr. Reimers uses Axolotl. These are
salamanders with gills, lidless eyes, and caudal fin. They possess the unique
ability to regenerate limbs. Her hope is to find the tie between their ability
and helping human patients that suffer from severe tissue loss. She uses
several methods for identifying the genes used for regeneration, such as, the
two-hybrid system, serial analysis, and RACE cloning. I loved seeing the
Axolotl. They are much cuter than I imagined!
Dr. Reimers and her team
suggested having two together if you were to have them as pets because they get
very depressed if they are alone. The spider room was more difficult to enter,
but I was not going to pass up the chance. It is amazing what they can use the
spider silk for! One of Dr. Reimers colleagues even used it on her wound. They
even suggested using it for suture material.
One of my favorite parts of the week was spent on the island
of Norderney. We were able to go mudflat hiking and visit the Klinik Norderney.
Mudflat hiking was so much fun and such a great experience! I did not realize
all of the species of plants and animals on the island that contributed so much
to the environment. We saw crabs, muscles, oysters, and even ate some salty
plants.
Alexis and Michelle were brave enough to eat an oyster, too. The mud
felt great on your feet, until you stepped on some muscle shells, or realized
you were walking in worm feces. But it was a great time!
After mudflat hiking,
we learned about how the environment of Norderney can improve a patient’s
health. At Klinik Norderney, Dr. Raschke gave a presentation on the climate
therapy offered in Norderney, The klinik specifically works in the following
areas of health: pulmonary, dermatology, sleep, and orthopedics. However, no
surgeries are performed for orthopedics, just the pain associated with
orthopedics. The seawater, air, wind, and sun on the island all positively
affect people who are ill in some way. For instance, there is barely any pollen
on the island and lower UV radiation exposure. This type of climate provides a
great living place for patients with asthma or dermatitis. Walking on the beach
can also help people improve their fitness. The sand creates a greater energy
consumption when you walk, compared to exercising in grass or concrete. Also,
the seawater can help diabetic people because it lowers blood glucose when they
take baths. Overall, the Klinik is accomplishing some great therapy. It was a
beautiful facility, so much that it seemed like a great place to retire. I
really enjoyed doing some of the sports therapy activities with everyone!
Though there was a lot of traveling in a short amount of
time, it was a very enjoyable trip. Norderney was one of my favorite places to
visit so far. It amazes me how much a natural environment can contribute to
keeping people healthy. It coincides with some of the lectures Dr. Wasser has
been giving because many of the concepts in history had medicine relying on
nature. Some things don’t change throughout history.
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