Most of our longer lab coats feature traditional side slits, or side vents, and recently I wondered why. From a historical standpoint, double side slits made their first appearance in British tailored suit jackets. In a suit jacket, these vents take the form of flap-like slits in the back bottom of the jacket. Originally, these vents were designed as a sporting option, enabling the wearer to more easily ride a horse. For this reason, they became standard in hunting jackets before becoming a staple feature of most men's suit jackets. Today, suit jackets are available in double-vented, single-vented, and vent-less styles. The latter is rare and associated primarily with highly formal Italian suits, while the single vent is a popular and more casual American style. The double vented style has maintained its British roots, and is considered an ideal option for improving the hang of a suit jacket while sitting down or when accessing pant pockets. Never before has the Medelita motto 'Your lab coat is your suit' been more relevant than in the realization that this traditional lab coat feature was adopted and refined from the suit jackets of the past.
Although I don't imagine that many people hunt or ride horses in their lab coats, side vents are still a popular and relevant feature of unisex or men's lab coats. Vents on lab coats evolved to sit along the side seam, allowing easy access to the pant pockets beneath while the coat is closed. This makes sense for men, whose pockets are generally aligned with pant seams, but for women, pocket placement is different and pockets often sit more towards the front of pants to reduce the bulk of a female silhouette. Additionally, a trend towards wearing a lab coat open seems to be growing. Interestingly, our dental lab coats do not have side slits. During our design stages, we interviewed hundreds of dentists, and the overwhelming majority didn't want them.
These facts, combined with the knowledge that there are more pockets built into lab coats today than ever before, begs the question, "Are side slits a functional feature for women?"
According to a Physician Assistant that recently wrote to us, the answer is no. "I discussed the importance of side slits with some colleagues. We do not feel that they would be missed," she told us.
We'd love to hear from more of our colleagues on the topic of side vents. What is your opinion of this traditional (but perhaps outdated) feature?
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"Sugar is detrimental to both gums and teeth. We should limit it in our daily foods." It seems like common sense now, but in 1728, it was a revolutionary statement. The man credited with first recognizing that sugar was anything but sweet on teeth was Pierre Fauchard, known as "the father of modern dentistry."
Born in 1678 in France, Pierre Fauchard joined the French Royal Navy at the incredibly young age of 15 and became a combat medic under the tutelage of Alexander Poteleret, a surgeon major who specialized in diseases of the teeth and mouth. The definition of an overachiever, Pierre Fauchard singlehandedly changed the face of dentistry. Like a dental MacGyver, he adapted tools from watch makers, jewelers, and barbers to make remarkable improvisations on dental instruments to combat the limitations of the primitive surgical instruments during the late 17th and early 18th century. He even discovered that teeth position could be corrected and introduced the first braces - initially made from gold and fastened with waxed linen or silk threads.
Pierre Fauchard was considered a highly skilled surgeon by many of his colleagues at Angers University Hospital, where he worked after he left the Navy. At a time when dentists were called "Dentateurs" and generally only extracted teeth rather than treated them, Fauchard not only removed teeth but filled cavities, removed tartar from around the teeth and benign tumors of the gum, and even created 'false teeth', carved from blocks of ivory or bone. Pierre Fauchard often described himself as a "Chirurgien Dentiste" (Surgical dentist) - a term that would later become the title of his now-famous book. At the age of 45, Pierre Fauchard completed the manuscript for "Le Chirurgien Dentiste". The book, published in two volumes in 1728, is said to be the first complete scientific description of dentistry.
We chose to honor Pierre Fauchard with our own innovative and professional Medelita Men's Fauchard dental lab coat. Designed to resemble a men's suit jacket with a traditional collar and blazer pocket, the 40? length Fauchard dental lab coat is the most professional and tailored dental lab coat on the market. The Fauchard dental lab coat is designed specifically to accommodate the exact range of motion and ergonomics required of dental practitioners, and features cuffed sleeves and snap closure to the neck for OSHA compliance.
Comfort with movement in dental specific positions was the paramount consideration in this lab coat design, and an ergonomic design of the sleeves and upper back allows for full range of motion. Double back vent. Easy snap front closure. Underarm grommets for ventilation. Extra Smartphone pocket. The Fauchard dental lab coat also boasts breathable, 100% cotton pre-shrunk performance fabric that repels fluid, soil, and stains – including blood and impression material, while helping to maintain the bright white coat color that signifies prestige and professionalism. 
Although I personally did not know Damon C. Argento, it genuinely saddens me to know that the world has lost an amazing man - a man devoted to his family and to his career. In doing research to write this blog post, I came to understand how many people he touched in his life and how much of a gift he was to those who knew him.
The Touro College School of Health Sciences PA program described Damon C. Argento, RPA-C as a true hero to everyone whose path he crossed in life. An extraordinary Physician Assistant who was proud, dedicated, and devoted to his patients, coworkers, and students. In 2002, Damon graduated from the Physician Assistant program at Touro College's School of Health Sciences, and spent several years assisting surgeons at the famed Hospital for Special Surgery, part of New York Presbyterian/Weill-Cornell Medical Center. During this time, Damon taught the hospital's suture lab every Wednesday to students who needed practice with wound closure. Last year, he became the Associate Director of Professional Development of PAs, and was in the process of creating an education ladder for all PAs when he was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident earlier this year.
"The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease." These words were spoken by William Osler, M.D., a pathologist, physician, educator, bibliophile, historian, author, practical joker - and the subject of today's post.
William Osler, M.D. was born in Ontario, Canada in 1849. He received his M.D. degree from McGill University in Montreal, and like many of his contemporary Canadian physicians, Osler went abroad for postgraduate study. Those studies took him to London, Berlin, and Vienna before he returned in 1874 to join the medical faculty at McGill University. In 1883, William Osler, M.D. was elected as one of only two Canadian fellows of the British Royal College of Physicians, and shortly after, he left Montreal to become a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Four years later, Dr. Osler became one of the "Big Four" founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the first Professor of Medicine and creator of the first residency program for specialty training of physicians. During his time at Johns Hopkins, William Osler, M.D. revolutionized the medical curriculum of the United States and Canada, combining English and German systems. He was known for saying, "He who studies medicine without books sails an uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine without patients does not go to sea at all." A strong advocator of patient-centric medicine, he was the first professor to bring medical students out of the lecture hall and into a clinical setting. He believed that students learned best by doing and that clinical instruction should begin and end with the patient.
A man who dealt with death with a pinch of humor, Dr. Osler moonlighted under the pseudonym of 'Egerton Yorrick Davis', and even had a report published by the Philadelphia Medical News on the imaginary phenomenon of penis captivus, the details of which I won't explain but which illustrate the Puck-like alter ego of this esteemed medical professional.
His book, 
