Author: Carol Veil

Out of the Country with A&P on the Mind – Part 2

Carol VeilLeave a comment

As a continuation of my blog from Aug. 7, below are some additional observations from my recent trip to France.  The emphasis of the trip was on architecture and landscaping, but of course my mind wandered to A&P in a humorous way.

Touring the Chateau Fontainebleau, I noticed this statue with 5 breasts.  She is obviously well-suited for multiple births, but think of all the prolactin and oxytocin needed to get things going!

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Among the modern art seen at the Centre Pompidou was this painting – a large skull with rope tied around it, displayed in a huge tiled box.  I’m trying to understand the symbolism. Perhaps this is the skull of a former bar hopper who “tied one on” too many times?

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In the gardens at Versailles, there was a special series of stone exhibits called “Anatomie.”  One of the sculptures is shown here.  What do you think?  Is it a kidney with a ureter coming out?  I guess this is why I majored in science and not in art.

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In a bookstore window I saw this paperback.  The title is translated as “Man Explained to Women.”  I’m guessing it is more than just anatomy.

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I’ll end by mentioning “chocolat” – French hot chocolate.  In France, you can get chocolat at any bistro, restaurant or bar, any time night or day – which is awesome for chocoholics like myself.  On my return to the USA, I was thrilled to learn of the exciting research from Harvard Medical School (http://neurology.org/content/early/2013/08/07/WNL.0b013e3182a351aa) documenting improved blood flow to the brain as a result of drinking hot chocolate (done with older subjects, but I’m certain it must work for everyone).

I lost count of how many cups of “chocolat” I had in one week (the blood flow in my brain was incredible), but I want to give a shout out to the location where I had the best chocolat in Paris.  That would be the café in the Musee d’Orsay – a former train station that now houses an amazing collection of impressionist art.  My new motto for Musee d’Orsay is “You’ll come for the art, but you’ll stay for the chocolat!”

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Main hall of Musée D’Orsay & a cup of thick, rich chocolat

Enjoy the rest of the summer and best wishes heading into the fall semester.  Always keep your students smiling as they learn.

Out of the country with A&P on the mind – Part 1

Carol VeilLeave a comment

As of July 1, I began my term as the new HAPS secretary.  However, summer is slow for board meetings, so I found alternate ways to practice my skills at observing and recording details.

I just returned from a trip to France organized by the architecture department of my college.  While observing buildings and landscaping as a non-credit student, I couldn’t help but see some things through the lens of an A&P professor. I hope you will enjoy the humor and can perhaps even use some of it in your A&P courses in the coming year.

First, at the Musée du Louvre I was struck by a sign at the entrance to one of the men’s rooms.   The green part of the sign was normally posted by itself, indicating the way to an emergency exit.  However, this one was unusual in being paired with the men’s room logo.   One of the other travelers in our group was an MD, and the two of us joked that the white sign was for men with normal GU tracts, while the green sign was for men with BPH.

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BPH …………………. Normal

At the Château de Chambord, I saw a modern “defibrillateur” mounted on the old stone wall. What a contrast in time periods!  Then I noticed the fire extinguisher below the defibrillator.  While the extinguisher itself was not remarkable, the sign next to it was.  Looking at the formula for French water, I could understand why flames are shown coming from the extinguisher itself.  The water in France obviously has a lot more hydrogen in it than our water does!

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The controlled electrical output from a defibrillator is one thing, but uncontrolled shock is another.  To avoid this situation in the Paris Metro, there were beaucoup warnings not to touch anything electrical.  The sign below seen in one Metro station was enough to make me toe the line.

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Finally, on a serious note and as an indication of the economy and the day-to-day reality in Paris, the following sign was seen by a hospital near Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was in English, obviously to make the point to visitors as well as Parisians.

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To be continued …