Did you know how much lives in your armpit?

Well, it's been a week since I've posted so here goes...

This week in classes we learned about the axillary fossa a.ka. armpit and all the essential structures that live there e.g. brachial plexus (containing the nerves that move your arm and hands), major arteries and veins, and lots o' fat. We also began to dissect the arm--this may seem strange, but when we uncovered the hands and had to move them around, it really disturbed me, probably because, like our faces, they animate us--we talk with them, touch with them, besides all the things we do with them. I'm beginning to see the cadaver more as a person--at first it was a coping mechanism to only focus on the mechanics of the task, but now as I look at other cadavers, I begin to see their stories from the inside out: the women with masectomies or implants, the sternal wires from those with open heart surgery, the broken rib from doing chest compressions.

We also began our clinical course this week--"Principles of Clinical Medicine" which will teach us our basic clinical skills and bring up issues of ethics, the healthcare system, life and dying, etc. This week we had a panel of docs tell us about the patient-physician relationship, including a story of a JW woman who refused a blood transfusion. Afterwards, in our small group discussion, the facilitator asked whether any of us had religious beliefs that prevented us from receiving certain kinds of healthcare. Although I was a bit suprised that he would outright ask that question, I raised my hand and said that my beliefs wouldn't allow abortion, certain stem cell procedures, or physician-assisted sucicide. Though I wish I was more eloquent in how I said it, I was suprised also that no one else volunteered their beliefs--a few said what they grew up as (Catholic or Jewish), but no one claimed them as their own beliefs. A few people who were in a previous small group with me had already been exposed to the importance of faith to me. I really hope that people are not forming quick stereotypes--but what else could I do? I couldn't deny my faith by staying silent. It reminds me of my interview for this school--I had a discussion with my interviewer of my faith and told him plainly that I had firm beliefs and valued integrity and my faith, but was also happy and willing to listen and dialogue with others from different belief systems or none at all. I had no idea that this statement would be tested so soon.

Another interesting tidbit is that in the readings they included the Oath of Maimonides "Prayer for the Physician" (year 1135-1204) and in the World Medical Association Declaration of Geneva the words include, "I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of conception". However, when we took the oath of Geneva--we did not have the italic words included. Curious...