Enclothed Cognition

Although she was mentally slow, Rosemary Kennedy was sweet natured throughout her childhood and the Kennedys went to great lengths to hide her apparent disabilities. But by her early twenties her disposition began to change and she became extremely volatile, swinging into violent fits of rage and temper tantrums. 

As with medical knowledge, medical uniforms, and medical treatments, spaces for healing and medicine have evolved through history. Today you can visit a private practice or hospital, but where did patients from the past go when they were sick? The modern hospital has evolved from ancient Egyptian sleeping temples, to religious patient wards, to the hospitals we are used to today--here is a brief history of the institution of hospitals.

New medical students all over the country recently slipped on their white lab coats for the first time and got to feel the prestige and honor that this symbol holds. The white lab coat worn by doctors transcends the limits of merely functional workwear, giving the wearer a feeling of confidence and pride in their accomplishments and the knowledge that they are looked up to as among the most trustworthy members of society.

Experts such as Tom Frieden, Director of the CDC, worry that the overuse of antibiotics could lead to the next global pandemic by creating microbial illnesses that cannot be controlled by modern medicine. Here's what you need to know about antibiotic resistance.

Mary Mallon, commonly known as “Typhoid Mary” was an Irish immigrant who moved to the United States in 1833. Mary was a typical immigrant worker making her way in a new country, and her memory would have faded quickly had she not become the infamous icon of infectious disease that she is now known for. 

The PA role has been shaped by years of experience and has its roots as far back as the 1600’s, when Peter the Great introduced “feldshers” into his armies as military medical assistants. Throughout modern history one can find references to non-physicians providing healthcare, especially during wartime. 

Between 1932 to 1972 the U.S. Public Health Services violated the basic rights of its human patients in a study that went on for forty years. The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was “the longest nontherapeutic experiment on humans in medical history” (James Jones), during which 600 black men became the unknowing victims of one of the most infamous breaches of medical ethics.

Its not yet November, but lets take some time to be thankful for how far the medical industry has progressed. Medical knowledge improves and evolves every day, hospitals are (usually) extremely sanitary environments, and medical instruments must be tested and approved for safety. 

This weekend thousands of anesthesiologists will flock to San Diego to hear lectures from featured speakers, attend educational lectures, and rub shoulders with industry leaders at the 2015 Anesthesiology Annual Meeting. To celebrate the coming together of anesthesiologists from around the world, lets take a look back on the development of anesthesia, an absolutely essential component of effective patient care.

Large-scale outbreaks of infectious disease have been relatively rare throughout history, but when they do occur they can be disastrous. These diseases caused millions of deaths throughout history and many of them still cause hundreds of deaths each day.