SREF Site

To follow the trend I shall talk of the history of medicine for my SREF site. among the frequent old scalpels, I was surprised to not see a reference to the grave robbing that happened to fill the need for cadavers. By the ones wishing to understand the anatomy of the human body. I was also surprised that there was a display about plastic surgery. The reconstruction of the nose specifically. 

Another section was the development of modern day pills. Having just walked though the mortar and pedestal apothecaries before them showed their similarly. A nice touch at this point was to also have the first birth control pills and information of the clinical study that happened on rabbits before human testing. 

SREF - History of Medicine Museum

For the SREF project I went with the group to the History of Medicine Museum. It was really interesting to see the progression of medicinal practices and science throughout the past few centuries to today. One of the subjects I found particularly interesting was our past understanding of blood and how it was used. The first person to correctly describe the circulation of blood in a closed system did so in 1628. This person, William Harvey, actually used experimental methods created by Galileo to disprove the previously accepted theory for blood circulation. This is yet another example of how the work of scientists often leads to important discoveries beyond their original intentions. Another interesting fact is that the first experimental blood transfusions took place during the 17th century, and people began to use this as a form of therapy. I was surprised to learn that humans were already trying these types of procedures so long ago. Overall, I really enjoyed this museum!

Culture - Drinking Water

In this historic European heat wave, one thing has been on our minds: water. In the United States, water is found free in several places. Drinking water is included at most restaurants and bubblers line public areas. Many people drink straight from the tap when they just want a quick swig of water. Here in Italy, however, the only free water available is from the numerous water fountains dispersed around the city. Many people drink either straight from these fountains or from bottled water when out and about. At restaurants, water is not free because it comes bottled. 

In the US, water is found in many places for free. Accessibility to clean drinking water is generally seen as a right of the people (except for places like Flint, Michigan I guess). In Italy, water is seen as more of a luxury. Carbonated water is often the same price as still water, and many times only a few cents or a Euro cheaper than a soda. These cultural differences could be attributed to the availability of water. The United States is spread out geographically, so many cities have independent drinking supplies. In many places in Italy, water must be imported from more rural areas. 

SREF - The Four Humors

4 Humors

I chose to go to the History of Medicine Museum in Rome for my SREF site. An interesting topic that I learned more about was the 4 humors that the Ancient Greeks believed necessary to keep the body in balance. The four humors are: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. These four liquids also correspond to the four elements, which reflects the Greeks’ Pagan roots. Many of the Greeks’ beliefs stem from nature and a desire to keep the elements balanced. As such, it was believed that the four humors in the body also need to be balanced to achieve a healthy life.

European Culture - Alcohol

     Something I noticed while traveling around Europe was the differences in cultural attitudes towards alcohol. An obvious difference is that the drinking age in most European countries is 18, not 21. But it’s also been interesting to see how well carding policies are enforced. For example, in Scotland we were always carded as soon as we ordered an alcoholic beverage. In Italy however, I have not been carded once when ordering a drink. I was once asked by a bartender in Florence if I was over 18, but he took my word for it and did not check my ID. America, on the other hand, often does not even allow you into bars unless you are at least 21.
     It seems that the drinking “law enforcement” is a lot more relaxed in Italy compared to America. I wonder if this is because people are generally more trusting here or because the underage drinking laws are more relaxed or something else. The interesting part is that despite the more lenient drinking culture, it seems that people in Italy drink more responsibly. Maybe I just haven’t seen any of these people yet, but it does not seem to be a popular thing here to become obnoxiously intoxicated like many young adults do in America. I wonder if these two observations are correlated.

     

European Culture

The inclusion of green spaces has been very different. There are plotted plants on the side of the street. I can across a median of a road that had long unmowed grass that I observed could have been trimmed by some city department. The conservation of water also left other plots of grass brown from the heat. There have been a plethora of private property containing cut green grass.

Manicured green space in Florence, part of a plaza

Much of this difference is comparing urban to suburban developments. The inclusion of plant life is probably typical for the population density with roof top gardens and elsewhere there is space. You can see that there is a respect for plant life. There are plants on the side of buildings and part of the seating areas of restaurants. Trying to help the place feel welcoming, and cultivated.
Wild spaces that came in contact with the road were not trimmed. I'm guessing that this lawn care happens in the U.S. to create space to pull of the road. The brush did also reduce visibility to see when the bus was coming. 

SREF site

For my STEF site, I chose the museum of history of medicine. The muse covered blood transfusions that I found very interesting to learn about. Doctors performed various blood transfusions using animal blood in humans which is something that is completely absurd today. I learned about the first instrument made to transfer blood between humans and how it was made on silver and bone tubes and then inserted into veins. To use this, they used animal blood vessels to make a link between the donor or recipient.
They also had exhibits centered on surgery. Doctors believed that gun shots were poisonous due to gunpowder inside of them. After removing the bullet from the patient’s body, the patient would be cleaned with boiling oil or branding iron. I feel like that could make the wound even worse just due to the violent burns on their skin. It could also probably get infected much more easily due to unsterile instruments.

Cultural Differences- Customer Service

While it's hard to generalize these differences to Italy or Europe as a whole, I've definitely noticed a difference in how customer service workers are expected to act. Quite frankly, it's refreshing, and I think we should bring this model back to the US. There are the overt changes, such the fact that when sitting down to eat, you must call your waiter to you when you need something or request a bill, but there are less obvious attitude differences as well. Most are kind but are not expected to over-perform sweetness like in the US. You may get a "Ciao" "Buongiorno" but from there it's mostly business, receiving orders, etc. Some on busier/tourist streets will be dramatically charming and loud to try and get you to sit at their restaurant (sometimes to the point of being pushy and obnoxious), but for the most part the waiters are not trying to "earn their tip" like in the US. Often, the tip is included in a service charge, or food will cost more if you dine in versus out. This makes more sense to me, but I do wish it would state whether or not their is a charge ahead of time. I want waiters to get paid properly and not have to "dance monkey dance" just to make a living wage and it seems like the Italians are doing it a lot better than we are. Plus, a lot of waiters have been extremely fun to talk to and kind anyways, even without the American tip model. 

SREF- History of Medicine Museum

Despite missing the guided tour, I was glad to have been able to visit the history of medicine museum due to my site research topic of apothecaries in Europe. I expected to see a lot of familiar things about apothecaries, but instead I learned about global medical history and in depth components of the science that I did not research during my project. I distinctly remember the masks and sculptures of shamanic medicine. I was half expecting the the description to pass it off as "old make believe" but instead they discussed the very-real and powerful placebo effects and how neurotransmitters can be affected by moving, dramatic, and even scary performances by these doctors who would become possessed by certain spirits to guide them in their healing. They also discussed the key factor of a strong patient-doctor relationship which can be one of the make or break factors in someone's recovery due to their own willpower and effort. This is something discussed a lot in my techniques of therapy class as well.

Seeing mummified hands, old scalpels and blades, pipes, bladders, and various tools was fascinating and made me so glad for the world of modern medicine (and anesthesia). I was very impressed with the wide collection that museum held even just on its first floor alone (the basement wasn't open to us and the second floor wasn't air conditioned and I was too sick to be in that heat). While I was sad to have missed the apothecary shop model, I am glad for all that I was able to learn while I was there.

Some anatomical drawings from the main entrance.

SREF History of Medicine Museum

     There were many fascinating displays at the history of medicine museum. It was I teresting seeing the progression of tools that doctors used such as the stethoscope. In the beginning doctors used a very primitive method for listening to their patients breathing that looks nothing like what the doctors use now. 

Another aspect that the museum brought to my attention was that anesthesia wasn't invented until the mid 19th century. It's crazy to imagine that doctors performed their surgeries on patients without it. 

     Something else the museum showed was early dentistry which was interesting because instead of the materials we have today, dentists would mend teeth with real silver and gold. Before that was even a method used, many people would just be stuck with missing tooth because there was no known way to fix it. 

European Culture

     Something interesting that I have noticed about Europe is in the bathrooms. They seem to be very environmentally conscious about water and paper products. Most of the public restrooms I have used dispense 2 sheets of toilet paper at a time rather than letting you take as much as you want the first time. I think they do this to prevent you from taking more than necessary. I also noticed that compared to the US there is barely any water in the toilet bowls and in the US there is more than a gallon. I like this about Europe because they are more conscious of their water usage.
     I think a method that the US is starting to implement that is widely used here in Italy is 2 different settings to flush the toilet. One button uses less water because you don't want to be wasting alot of water each time if you don't have to. I think, at least here in Italy, they are more environmentally conscious.

SREF

While in Florence, I visited the Galileo museum. Overall, that museum was my favorite one that we’ve visited because everything was so interesting to look at and the guide was very informative. Something that I learned from my independent studies at that place was about the four humors. Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile were the four humors and it was very interesting to learn how they connected with the earth. The ways that they connected with the earth/climate were hot, dry, wet, and cold along with fire, air, earth, water. 

European Culture

I have noticed many cultural differences that set Italy’s culture apart from America’s. I’ve noticed that the Italian culture highly values family, art, and religion. One difference that I’ve noticed is that mealtime tends to be lengthy and a sit down meal can take a long time. Meals are meant to be enjoyed and the waiters leave you alone basically the whole time. In America, waiters will check up on you more often. I’m used to meals being quick and usually on the go rather than sitting down for quite awhile like they do here. Also, I’ve noticed that bills are usually paid on one ticket rather than splitting it amongst people. 

European Dining Culture

Dining culture in Italy is much more sir-down/relaxed compared to USA’s where it is usually more on-the-go/quick. When they go out to eat a lot of people are sitting alone or with a small group of people and often are very quiet. One thing that is very different is that you have to pay for water, which is normally 3 euros. A service charge is included in majority of bills that helps cover the cost for wifi, air conditioning, bathroom and etc., which ranges from 1 to 3 euros. Tables are usually only visited by the server a couple times and are not checked on. As a waitress, I usually talk to my tables quiet a few times to see if they need anything after they get their food. If the customer has to come and find you it usually implies you are slacking on the job, but in Italy, it is common especially if you’re ready for your check.

SREF

For our SREF free day, I went and visited the last Alchemists magic door. I learned that the 5 doors were built for the use of transmutating materials into gold. This particular door in the piazza Vittorio was built after a legend. The legend was that a famed alchemist Giustiniano Bono was searching in a nearby garden for a herb, Needed to perform the transmutation. After that night that he went searching for the herb, he was no longer seen and a gold leaf was found on the magic door. I also learned that on the door, the ingredients needed for a successful transmutation are subscribed on the door.

SREF

For the SREF project, I visited the history of medicine museum. Something I noticed at the museum was the speed and acceleration of medicinal knowledge. It's impressive how far the medicine has advanced in just a few hundred years. First, I saw crude tools that influenced modern day scalpels and microscopes. Every couple of decades, these tools advanced more and more. However, just a century or so later, we had models and understanding of human DNA.
The museum had a model of a chromosome on display, obviously enlarged, that was really cool to see. Just a few decades after the chromosome was modeled, humans understood the complexities of DNA to the point of, roughly, what every gene does. Nowadays, scientists are close to being able to edit babies' genes before they are born to get rid of diseases.

European culture

One of the cultural differences that I’ve noticed the past week has been the overall smoking atmosphere. Back in the United States there are very specific laws about where you can smoke.
But in Italy, and probably in other parts of Europe, smoking is a very more relaxed activity. In Europe people smoke while eating, riding mopeds, on the train, and at the train stations. I just find this unusual because we have grown up with always been told that smoking is bad and that you can only do it in these areas. And in Europe I don’t think they grew up with the constant warnings regarding smoking. Also while being in Europe, there are a lot more cigarette vending machines, and places to buy cigarettes than in the United States. So I also believe that since cigarettes are more widely available, that this lead to the more relaxed opinion regarding smoking

European Culture

One of the things I noticed about European Culture, specifically in Rome, is that driving is much more aggressive. When trying to cross the street, cars often get very close to the crosswalks. In America, a car that is turning typically waits until the crosswalk is clear until moving ahead. In Rome, however, cars and mopeds push into the crosswalks sometimes forcing pedestrians to stop crossing the streets. Intersections that do not have traffic lights are a fight between cars and pedestrians, with both parties cutting in front of the other to get across the intersection. Another aggressive driving technique is commonly used by people on mopeds or motorcycles. Mopeds tend to weave through traffic like they are playing frogger, trying to get in front of all the other cars stopped at the red light.

SREF

One thing I learned at the history of medicine museum is how much our medical practices have evolved. They had glass bottles in the museum where they put their medicine. Nowadays they put them in plastic bottles and make sure everything is secure and sterile. Also, the fact that back in the day the instruments they were using werent very sterile just made me think about how many infections that must have taken place in peoples bodies. I am very thankful that in this day in age doctors have figured our how to sterilize everything.
Another thing that I found interesting was the 2nd floor. The things like DNA, kidneys, neurons, EKGs, etc were put on display and talked about how they came about and details on what the people discovered. I have learned about all of these things in school so I just found it interesting how they found ways on how to start reading the hearts rhythms, DNA, etc. 

European Culture

Rome was an overall good experience. A cultural difference that I saw that was the traffic. In Rome, there are not a lot of dashed lines in the road so people would drive wherever they wanted. Also, it is not typical to see mopeds weaving in and out of parked traffic in Wisconsin so I thought that was interesting. Also, it was often typical to hear a lot of honking which is not exactly heard in Wisconsin in most places.

Dog culture

Me being a lover of dogs, one thing I learned about European culture was that there are dogs everywhere. I am not sure if this is all through out Europe, but it is very prominent in Italy. In the states seeing a dog on the street is very common. The only thing different about Italian dogs is that the dogs were literally everywhere, including inside the shops and restaurants. When we were in Rome we had some free time at a shopping mall and during this time I saw at least four dogs in stores. Another example was a picture that Liz showed me of a dog in a restaurant sitting at a table like it was human. Seeing dogs like this in America is a very rare situation. It was definitely a neat, yet adorable situation. 

SREF

     I visited the History of Medicine Museum for gathering information about my SREF project. While at the museum one thing I learned was that the instruments used were tailored to the doctors that used them. This helped them gain the trust and confidence of their patients. During this time it was especially important because infection was very common and there was no anesthesia. The discussion before going to the museum helped immensely and made learning about the topic more interesting because I was in the right mindset.
     While at the museum I thought being able to see the types of instruments used was very interesting. I liked how it was broken up into different sections. It was hard to tell what certain tools were used for because all of the labels were in Italian. I liked that they had a variety of different things to look at like how they drilled holes in skulls, the wooden box that carried the tools, and the EEG machine.

European Culture

     One of the things I noticed about European culture is that the majority of people tend to dress in a more formal fashion. The women tend to wear dresses or skirts, where as the men I have noticed wear business suits or dress pants with nice shirts. In the evenings when people are going out to eat or just walking in the streets they are dressed very nice. I think that their mindset is your appearance help first impressions and that people care what you look like.
     

SREF

For the SREF project I decided to visit the history of medicine museum which was actually quite interesting. My research paper was on ancient Roman medicine and it was really cool to be able to connect my research to real life exhibits. I was able to see the tools I wrote about, like Hercule related handles on scalps and hooks or trephination surgery and what the after math of that looks like. 

Something I did learn from the museum that I didn’t know was the fact that there was so many tools. From my research I was able to read about a few different tools but nothing to the scale the museum had. There were all different types of hooks, needles, and forceps that relate to today’s modern medicine. It was interesting to see that so many tools have been around for so long. 

 

This is from the trephination surgery.

These are the handles with the design to represent Hercules.

This is an exhibit that had some of the many tools I was unable to find with my research.