Week in Bonn

Week 5 was really cool. It was one of our first laid back week where we were able to stay in the Rhine Valley. Monday we had class as normal and took an excursion to a local organ factory. We learned all about organs and how they’re made (by hand). The most interesting thing in my opinion was the fact that the majority of an organ is actually made out of wood. The metal pipes are just the part most people see. On Wednesday we took a trip down to Bingen, a small city on the Rhine south of Bonn. Bingen was a small city with an interesting history. Bingen was the home of one of the most famous female medieval physician: Hildegard a Bingen. Also in the museum there, we saw the most well preserved Roman surgical instruments ever discovered. It was mind blowing to look at these instruments and know exactly what they were used for. Although the materials change throughout the ages, human anatomy does not.

After the museum tour, we boarded a boat for a cruise up the Rhine. The Rhine valley is one of the most beautiful places on Earth in my opinion. All the hills and castles as well as the little villages spotted along the river were just breathtaking.

 

We got off the boat near Rhienfel’s Castle. In it’s heyday it was one of the largest European Castles; today however, it is only 30% its original size. We took a tour through the castle and learned all about its history as a stop on the Rhine to collect taxes to it being a key defensive fort when the French invaded. We climbed to the top where we got to see another great view of the valley below.

Thursday was one of the best days of the entire trip. We woke up ridiculously early to catch a bus to the Bonn University Hospital (UKB). The doctors split us up and we able to sit in on different surgeries there. My first doctor was an anesthesiologist from Australia who came to Germany 3 years ago to get married. With her, I was able to watch two orthopedic surgeries. The first surgery was on an elderly woman who had broken her tibia. The doctors were putting in a titanium plate and 6 screws. It was my first orthopedic experience and it was really cool to watch the doctors literally twist and move her bones. The second surgery was a broken collar bone repair. Another titanium plate and I believe 4 screws were placed. They had to call in a second surgeon to help get enough leverage on the bones to twist them into place. After that surgery it was around lunch time and our anesthesiologist took a break. Luckily for us, (we weren’t ready to leave) a doctor came up to us and started talking. We ended up finding out he was an American who had grown up in Houston and moved to Germany when he was 18 to attend medical school. Also, we found out he went to the same high school as one of the other guys on the trip. Crazy how small the world can be sometimes. We talked to him for about 45 minutes all about the German Medical school process. It blows my mind how they can attend medical school directly out of high school. We told him we weren’t ready to leave and wanted to see a “cool” surgery so he walked us over to cardiology. I was standing in the corner of the room and the head surgeon goes “why are you being shy, come up here” and placed me on a stool right next to the patient’s head. I was almost in shock when I saw her entire chest pulled open and her heart barely twitching. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed in my life. The patient was getting a coronary artery replaced as well as something with one of her valves (finished before we arrived). She was on full cardiopulmonary bypass so her heart could be worked on. We arrived late and only got to watch the ending of the artery repair and the close up. The surgeon used a 2-inch needle with wire attached to suture up the patient’s sternum. I don’t think ill ever forget the sound of that needle going through the thick bone. Although I don’t have any pictures of this surgery, I doubt I’ll ever forget what I was fortunate enough to watch.

This weekend we are taking a trip to the black forest to hike and just kind of relax before heading to Berlin.