Week 2-Part 2

I can’t believe it’s the end of our second week in Germany. We are on a train bound for Munich, our first big adventure outside of Bonn. This past week we had a busy schedule in Bonn and Cologne. On Tuesday we had a tour of the House of History with Dr. Wasser. I was not very informed on the modern history of Germany before our arrival. I enjoyed learning about Germany’s recent history instead of just focusing on the atrocities of World War II in and of themselves. I definitely had a better understanding of the country we are visiting after the tour. On Wednesday we visited Beethoven’s place of birth, and I found some of the pieces housed at the museum interesting; the various hearing aids that Beethoven used were amongst them.

On Thursday we had our big field trip to Cologne. I find it amazing how far back the history goes back in cities like Cologne, all the way back to Roman times. We had a very good tour guide who showed us around the city and gave us an idea of what the city might have been like in the past. The Gestapo prison we visited was a humbling experience. We have all heard of what went on in Germany’s darker past, but it is a much more powerful experience to see first hand the nature of what went on and immerse oneself into the personal experience of those that had passed through the prison. Our last activity of the day was a trip to the top of the cathedral. The elevator was terrible. I also did not like being on the edge of the cathedral on the metal railing. Besides being terrified of how high up we were, the view was amazing and I had a great time experiencing the history of the cathedral. I love architecture, especially that of the gothic era.

Today we had our last German class. It’s amazing how much we have learned in just a few days of German class and History of Medicine. As a pre-vet student, I have enjoyed learning about human medicine for a change and comparing and contrasting it to veterinary medicine. For example, I found the lecture on the Nazi euthanasia programs interesting. In veterinary medicine, euthanasia is a common practice to alleviate suffering and I found the Nazi’s misuse of euthanasia appalling. I thought some of the original thinking of Binding made some sense, but the results of its misapplication a terrible misuse of a positive practice in its ability to end pain and suffering. I also found our lecture on ancient Roman medicine interesting. I find it amazing how far the field of medicine has come, from the bloopers of Galen to today’s ability to treat diseases that were impossible to cope with in the past. Learning about the long and diverse past of medicine makes me wonder what kinds of things we will one day look back on and say, “What were we thinking?”

This coming week we have a busy schedule ahead in Vienna and a great time in Munich to look forward to over the weekend. Until next time!