We had a very early start Monday morning to make our way to
Vienna. After all the celebration from the World Cup final win had to pull an
all-nighter to packed all my things for the trip. After our smooth flight to
Vienna we started our experience there with a tour by Dr. Schnabel (Dr. Wasser
in a plague doctors outfit) where he highlighted all of the major medical
importance of the city. Later that day we had a guided tour through the
catacombs at St. Michael Church. I started with some background information
about the church and life at that time in Vienna. Then we entered the catacombs
through a stairwell inside the church. As soon as you enter you can feel the
difference in temperature and moisture. The area is quite expansive with some
smaller rooms that more wealthy families could rent burial space for themselves
and their families upon their passing. You could tell how wealthy or prominent
a person was by what their coffin was made of. The wealthier people’s coffins
were made of iron or other metals with ornate decoration and ornamentation.
Most of them were made of wood and some very beautiful paintings of flowers,
angels representing life and its beautiful but delicate existence. The large
room was estimated to have the resting place of over 400 bodies. The coffins
would be stacked one on top of another and when they needed more space they
would simply break the coffin at the bottom of the pile to make more space. Sometime
before they discovered and excavated the catacombs there was a flood that had
caused a lot of the coffins to corrode or rot. One astounding but effective way
they displayed how many people and remains were found there was the wall of
femurs. Any entire wall at least 8-10 feet high was covered with hundreds of
femur bones that had been found there. Likewise, there was a wall with skulls
and other various bones. The coolest part was being able to see the mummified
people still in their coffins. There was one older man who was a prominent politician
of his time, a middle aged woman and a young girl on display. You could still
see most of their skeleton and even the clothes they wore when they were
buried. Since the plague hit this region very hard several times it is safe to
assume that a large part of the people buried there were victims of the plague.
The most chilling part was seeing all the smaller coffins that were for small children.
I was impressed with their efforts to preserve the bodies with hay and straw to
soak up the fluids of the bodies as they mummified.
Our following morning was spent at the Josephinum Museum. It
was essentially the first ever body worlds exhibit. They used it to teach the
medical students and art students. The models were not always 100% accurate but
it was still very impressive for the time. We learned a lot about how certain
diseases or conditions were treated back in that time, some of which were
similar to what we do today. I thought the obstetrics room was especially
interesting. Our knowledge and technology in this area has advanced
exponentially since that time. We have always known that many woman died of childbirth
in those times but thanks to the visit we could see the various anatomical
reasons why childbirth was so dangerous.
One of the most informative and eye-opening sessions we had
was our lecture by Prof. Marz at the Vienna Medical School and Clinic. It was
wonderful to compare the medical systems of the US and Austria side by side. Other
than the varied years of schooling in each the main difference is the context of
what you are being taught. American medical schools teach you in a classroom
and you study and memorize for exams. The Austrian medical schools like to have
more experience based learning where they students are having indirect contact
with patients under the supervision of other physicians so they can see why
they are learning the things they are in class. I like that approach a lot. Many
times it can be difficult to study for a class when you cannot see where you
would apply a lot of the material in a real job. I was curious to know how costs compare and
when I asked I was shocked by Dr. Marz answer, they do not have tuition! The
tuition is covered by taxes. I am still not sure which system I like better but
I know for sure the Austrian system is much more simplified and stress free
than the American medical system.
Next as the Fool’s tower. The cylindrical building used to
be an insane asylum and living quarters for nurses and doctors who ran the
institute. Over time it was converted to a pathology museum with thousands of
real artifacts and body parts. Our tour guide was a medical student and asked
us a lot of questions about the items in the museum to see how much we knew. We
could answer almost every question he had which made Dr. Wasser very proud.
Although all of the affliction were sad and slightly creepy it was amazing to see
all these real cases and how they tried to remedy/cure them.
That weekend was my favorite of the entire trip. We traveled
to Salzburg where we took a Sound of Music Tour and Salt Mines tour. Both tours
were exceptionally beautiful and fun. I have never seen such beautiful scenery in
my life. We drove by the Monsee Lake which was almost unreal aqua color from
all the gypsum that runs into it. That lake with the Alps in the background and
the lovely sunny day made for the perfect day for the locals to go swimming in
the lake. The salt mines tour was very educational and a unique experience. Through
the winding roads up and down the mountains we caught a glimpse of Hitler’s
Eagle’s Nest house. It was the highest peak in sight but resembled a prison
like building to me. The following morning we went to Innsbruck where we went
paragliding over the Swiss Alps! It was one of the most incredible and exhilarating
experiences of my life. I was very nervous to take off but once we got into the
air it was very relaxed and soothing not to mention the spectacular view of the
moutains. We were blessed to have beautiful weather the whole time. Saturday
night and Sunday we were in Munich where I got to celebrate my 21st birthday.
That day we went on a four hour bike tour through the city. It was a great way
to get a quick look at all the city has to offer. I would have loved to spend
the day in the English garden where all the locals were out tanning by the
river. We visited the Asian Biergarten where we had lunch and had traditional
food and bier from Munich. The experience really exemplified the traditions and
history of Bavaria and made me wish to come back and visit again one day.
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