The Portrait of Dr. Samual D. Gross, also known as The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins, is recognized as one of the greatest American paintings for depicting the scientific achievements of Philadelphia. Thomas Eakins, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was born in 1844. After graduating from high school, he attended Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He also participated in dissections and observed surgeries at Jefferson Medical College. In 1866, he continued his artistic training in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts. His experience at the medical college and in Paris helped him develop an appreciation for the human body. When he returned to Philadelphia, he devoted his time depicting the city and its fascinating people in his artwork. He eventually became a professor at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was known for his radical beliefs of training artists to understand the anatomy of the human body. Eakins admired the work of Dr. Samuel Gross, a famous surgeon in Philadelphia. Dr. Gross was well-known in the city for his innovative surgical techniques and contributions to the Philadelphia medical community. In 1875, Eakins painted Dr. Gross while he removed dead tissue from the …show more content…
thighbone of a patient suffering from a bone infection. The procedure reflects the revolution of surgical treatment and the understanding of how the body healed itself. Thomas Eakins’ painting of the Gross Clinic not only depicts this special moment in medical history, but also shows the real uncensored surgical experience in the nineteenth century through the role of the surgeon, the role of the First, Eakins shows the realism of medical surgery by focusing on Dr.
Gross’ role as the surgeon. Gross stands in the center of the painting against the dark background as a light from above illuminates his forehead like a glowing white star. As the only standing figure in the image, his presence and dominance is felt in the room. He is seen looking away from the surgical table, but his black eyes hold little emotion. His body is still as he holds the bloody scalpel in his hand like a pencil. While his fingers are drenched in blood there seems to be a sense of calmness in his stature as he explains the procedure to the audience of students. Eakins’ dramatic and calm representation of Dr. Gross shows the important role of a surgeon who holds life and death in his
hands. The second way Eakins depicts the realism of surgery at the time is the idea of surgery as being a gruesome event. On the surgery table, the ambiguous gendered body is seen surrounded by doctors busy performing multiple tasks. Eakins shows the doctors sedating the patient by compressing the face with a white cloth, unflinching at the wound as they hold it open, and cleaning blood from the incision. A woman is also present in the picture turning her head away in disgust. She uses her arms as protective barrier to shield her eyes from the gruesome site. In the presence of the calm doctors, she looks horrified. Finally, Eakins depicts the realism of surgery as a teaching moment. In the painting Gross is surrounded by students and other spectators. Most of the background figures are faint and barely seen in the shadows. Some students look in amazement while others look in boredom, similar to the diverse reactions in a college classroom. A student to the right of Gross can be seen eagerly taking notes of the surgery. Eakins is also depicted in the painting seated to the far right sketching the surgical scene. In conclusion, the Gross Clinic created a lot of controversy during its time. Some critics viewed it as too graphic to be displayed publically and displayed images that should have never left the operating room. However, the painting later became known as one of the greatest paintings in American history. It made a gruesome scene in Jefferson Medical College’s surgical amphitheater an artistic masterpiece. In the unwavering confidence of the surgeon, the bloody surgical site, and eager eyes of students and spectators, Eakins effectively depicted a frightening event in realistic detail.
Patrick Dismuke was a teenage boy who had been a patient at Hermann Hospital all his life. He suffered from numerous health defects, including blood-clotting problems, malnutrition, and infection. On his journey, he learned to love the hospital, even more so than his home (perhaps due to the slight abandonment by his mother). He loved his doctors and nurses (most of them) and frequently spent his childhood playing games around the nurses’ station. The hospital staff equally loved Patrick, letting him watch movies late at night, allowing him to eat junk food, and answering his late night calls when he was lonely. Patrick’s love was so strong that he infected his own main line, the line leading directly to his heart, with
Problem Statement: Should Dr. Roger Mahon, Pate Memorial Hospital (PMH) administrator, take action, if any, to compete with the newly established clinic, located five blocks north of PMH’s clinic?
Popular television paint a glorified image of doctors removing the seriousness of medical procedures. In the non-fiction short story, “The First Appendectomy,” William Nolen primarily aims to persuade the reader that real surgery is full of stress and high stakes decisions rather than this unrealistic view portrayed by movies.
The Beauty of Bodysnatching written by Burch Druin is a fascinating biography of Astley Cooper, an English Surgeon, and Anatomist, who gained worldwide fame in support of his contribution to Vascular Surgery and a further area of expertise. The extract gives a reflective insight into Cooper’s contribution to study of Anatomy and medicine. Cooper enjoyed the job of body snatching, which helped him to conduct a series of discoveries that were important for the future study and understanding of Physiology. In the Romantic era, when prettiness or horror was a sensitive matter and extensive concern at that time many physicians discouraged surgery, but Cooper passionately practiced it.
In Richard Selzer’s piece on the Exact Location of the Soul, he makes several important points that highlight the way that many surgeons may feel. He introduces the piece by posing the question about why would a surgeon write and giving the most common answers that most “outsiders”, people who aren’t surgeons may see. Eventually he settles on the fact that it is to “search for something meaningful” in surgery which he describes as “murderous, painful, healing, and full of love”. I found that this phrase was interesting because it seemed to imply that surgeons see writing as an escape, a way to justify the horrors or other feelings that they may experience when they perform surgeries. On the other hand the phrase itself of being murderous but also healing and full of love seems very obscure in the sense that generally events that are described as murderous aren’t healing at the same time. Selzer’s use of these phrases emphasizes the complex nature of surgeries.
In the book Complications, Atul writes about his experiences as a surgical residents and demonstrates a point of view of surgery that does not idealize it, but instead displays the actual pressure and complexity it actually is. Atul Gawande speaks to fellow surgeons, surgeons to be or simply those who believe that the study of surgery is just memorizing procedures, nonetheless it’s so much more complex due to the fact that every case that arrives is different. He is able to portray the complexity of surgery by putting his readers in heart racing situations faced by doctors, explaining step by step procedures, giving his personal stories of cases he has assisted in at the hospital as a resident. Atul Gawande appeals to his reader’s attitude
In the article, Gawande shares a story from when he worked in a hospital as a resident. His first real procedure, placing a central line through a stout man’s heart to receive nutrition, would result in few problems if it were performed by experienced hands. However, knowing this is his first operation to be done alone, Gawande’s nervousness grew with every thought of what could go dramatically wrong. Before beginning, the author recollects studying all of the precise moves and cuts his superior named S. carried out on the same type of procedure on a person beforehand. After feeling informed and confident, Gawande begins by gathering all the necessary tools needed for the job. But as he thought he finished, S. chimes in reminding him of the multiple things he failed to remember to grab or setup. He uneasily shook off the mistakes, and began by locating the point on the man’...
When the author was describing the petrifying appearance of the creature, she made sure to use words that would make us sick to our stomachs in order to get a really good idea across about how simply disgusting this now-animate creature was. She does this by explaining to us how the creature’s “yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath”. The thought of seeing something so sickening even makes us make a wry face and try to get the image out of our heads – and that’s exactly the reaction the author is hoping to see from us. This also helps us know how Mr.
The Power of Mistakes Atul Gawande is not only our resident surgeon; he’s also a patient himself. He’s anxious before performing surgery, he dwells on mistakes, and he has emotions: he’s human and he understands us. However, he does not appear to share concerns with his patients initially. Gawande experiences a long, drawn-out development from a young medical student to the doctor he is today. This process of identifying with patients is evident in his anthology of essays, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science.
will be referred to as ‘Peter’ in this essay which is in line with the
Thomas Cole was born on February 1, 1801 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. Due to financial problems his family endured, Cole, at the ripe old age of just fourteen, had to find work to assist with the family needs. He entered the work force as a textile printer and wood engraver in Philadelphia. In 1819, Cole returned to Ohio where his parents resided. Here, a portrait painter by the name of Stein, would become Cole’s primary teaching vehicle and inspiration for his oil techniques we’ve come to be familiar with. During this time, Cole was extremely impressed by what he saw in the landscapes of the New World and how different they were from the small town of England from whence he hailed. Self taught, art came naturally to Cole.
Born in Bolton, Lancashire, England in 1837, Thomas was taken to the United States at the age of 7. (Ency. Bio. Vol. 11). He was educated in Philadelphia public schools for his elementary years and then indentured to a wood engraving firm in 1853-1856. (Am.Nat.Bio.Vol 15). He had three brothers who were artist, but he learned to paint from his brother Edward Moran. He did do some watercolors during his apprentictionship and in 1856, he painted his first oil painting titled, Among the Ruins There He Lingered. (Vol.11). Moran still working closely with his brother became an informer student of Philadelphia marine artist James Hamilton. Hamilton may have introduced him to the work of J.M.W, turner and a belief in close study of nature in his foundation of panting. (Vol.15) Moran exhibited landscapes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the fine arts for the first time in 1856 and then later elected academician in 1861. He continued to exhibit there through 1905. (Vol.15). 1862 Thomas married Mary Nimmo who had always thought to be her husbands student. (Vol.15). The beginning of his life had just started and didn't know that he would accomplish so many feats with his artwork of nature.
Medicine, medical supplies, and medical treatment are multi-billion dollar industries crucial to the wellbeing of the public. Doctors and other members of the health-care industry do their best to provide excellent care for the nation’s sick and injured, while scientists and researchers work to develop new drugs and technologies to fight disease. We often view medical care as a basic human right; something that all persons, rich or poor, should have access to in times of need. But despite our notions of what healthcare should be, those who make a living in this industry, specifically owners of firms, must contend with the same economic questions facing businesses in any industry. To learn more about this vast service industry, I interviewed Dr. Martin Slez, a dentist/oral surgeon and owner of a medical practice that provides both general care and specialized treatments for oral diseases. Of the topics discussed, firm goals, pricing, costs, and technology stood out as particularly interesting and unique facets of the organization, as they differed considerably from those in other industries.
This week’s clinical experience has been unlike any other. I went onto the unit knowing that I needed to be more independent and found myself to be both scared and intimidated. However, having the patients I did made my first mother baby clinical an exciting experience. I was able to create connections between what I saw on the unit and the theory we learned in lectures. In addition, I was able to see tricks other nurses on the unit have when providing care, and where others went wrong. Being aware of this enabled me to see the areas of mother baby nursing I understood and areas I need to further research to become a better nurse.
Knowledge is continuously derived and analyzed from the experience of learners validating the truism that experience is the best teacher (Kolb, 1984). The aim of this module was to assist international students improve their communication skills which is key to a successful medical practice. This essay examines my journey through the module, sums up my experience and highlights its relevance to my career.