Enclothed Cognition

"I have striven to obtain education, at every sacrifice and every hazard, and to apply such education to the good of our common country." Standing against centuries of discrimination, James McCune Smith, MD was the first African American to earn a medical degree and run a U.S. pharmacy. Smith was born in 1813 in New York City to a "self-emancipated woman" who had earned her freedom from slavery. Sharing his mother's determination, James McCune Smith, MD applied to the University of Glasgow in Scotland, after being denied admission to Columbia University and Geneva Medical College due to his race. Smith was admitted and moved overseas. He received his medical degree in 1837, graduating at the top of his class. During his practice of 25 years, Smith was also the first African American to have articles published in American medical journals. A staunch abolitionist, he was active in the American Anti-Slavery Society, and he helped Frederick Douglas to establish the National Council of Colored People in the 1850s as one of the first national organizations to work on racial issues. As a member of the Committee of Thirteen, Smith helped to rally against the Fugitive Slave Act that required states to aid federal law enforcement in the capturing of escaped slaves. The Committee also aided fugitive slaves, connecting them to the Underground Railroad - much of which was orchestrated from the back rooms of his pharmacy. Dr. James McCune Smith died on November 17, 1865 of congestive heart failure at the age of 52. Nineteen days later, the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery throughout the country.

Blood. I'm certain many of you are all too familiar with the life-giving fluid that flows through our veins, and seeing it in abundance is very rarely a good thing. However, blood banks are an exception - a very vital and necessary exception. The 'creator' of the first blood bank is a subject of debate, yet most evidence points to the Russian Dr. Sergei Yudin. In 1930, Yudin organized the world's first blood bank at the Nikolay Sklifosovskiy Institute, and by the end of the decade, the Soviet Union had set up a system of at least sixty-five large blood centers and more than 500 subsidiary ones, all storing "canned" blood. America was not without its contributions, however. Decades earlier in 1915, Richard Lewison, MD of Mount Sinai Hospital initiated the use of sodium citrate as an anticoagulant, transforming blood transfusions from direct (vein-to-vein) to indirect - setting the stage for the future establishment of blood banks. Two years later, the introduction of a citrate-glucose solution by Francis Peyton Rous, MD and JR Turner, MD allowed blood to be stored in containers for several days, and allowed for the first "blood depot" to be created in Britain during World War I. Bernard Fantus, MD copied the Soviet model in 1937, establishing the first hospital blood bank in the United States. Fantus coined the term "blood bank", and within a few years, small hospital and community blood banks had opened across the country. In 1939, Charles R. Drew, MD discovered that plasma could be stored far longer than whole blood. Revolutionizing transfusion and blood storage techniques, Drew developed the first large-scale blood banks early in World War II. His model became the foundation for the Red Cross' system of blood banks, of which Dr. Charles R. Drew became the first director.

As the mummified corpses in museums across the world can attest, the art of bandaging dates at least as far back as Ancient Egypt. Throughout history, bandages were primarily made of linen, and one story even claims that the Roman Emperor Trajan tore up his own toga when bandages ran short on the battlefield. For centuries, rags from clothing or even remnants from factories were used to dress injuries, with little regard for matters of sterilization. By the turn of the 20th century, that philosophy had changed, and the first American-made tensor bandage was developed by Oscar O. R. Schwidetzky in 1918. The bandage was named the ACE™ Bandage. ACE stands for "All Cotton Elastic," and much like our own recent lab coat naming contest, the name ACE was selected after a nationwide contest that offered physicians $200 for coming up with the best name for the new bandage. One advantage to the ACE bandage is that the knit allows the fabric to breathe naturally. Unlike its predecessors, the ACE bandage allows air to circulate, improving their use. Ace has now been a trusted brand in elastic bandages for nearly 100 years.

We’d like your help. And this is simple – should take 5 minutes – and with a great return on investment. 1. decide on your favorite Medelita garment 2. wear it to work 3. find a well-lit spot without a ton of background noise 4. ask someone to take a video with your iPhone (or similar) 5. introduce yourself (name & title) in beginning of video 6. state what you are wearing 7. then say what you’d like to say – see below for ideas/topics 8. send it to angela@medelita.com OR post it on our FB page 9. if we select your video for our web site, you get a lab coat or scrub set + embroidery – FREE We have quite a few videos scattered throughout our site currently, all taken at medical and dental conferences. As we’ve grown, those opportunities (to pull out our video camera at a conference) have become nearly impossible, as we are (gratefully) too busy at the booth. We know that testimonials from colleagues wearing Medelita garments are extremely helpful to those new to our brand, and new to the quality, functionality and performance of Medelita. We’d love to share more of what you have to say. The video should be no longer than 30 seconds and shot in a landscape (horizontal) frame. Make sure the lighting is bright and we can hear/understand what you are saying. Simply tell us about anything you’d like related to your favorite Medelita lab coat or scrubs. Your first impression. How it compares to traditional lab coats/scrubs that you’ve owned. What makes them unique. Feedback you hear from colleagues/patients. How you feel wearing it. Durability experiences. Spill experiences (blood, coffee, etc.). It’s your choice what to send us. We will choose videos based on sincerity, interest, honesty and what we think your colleagues might be most intrigued to hear. Medelita garments are still a very new concept to most, and best explained clinician to clinician. If we choose to include your video on our web site (www.medelita.com), we will be happy to send you either the garment that you wore in the video, or another of your choice – as a COMPLIMENTARY gift of appreciation, including free name & title embroidery. The contest ends May 31st, so please submit your video soon either by posting it on our Facebook page OR emailing it directly to angela@medelita.com. Other important items of mention: you can enter as many times as you would like. We might choose more than one entry that a single person submits – in that case they would receive one free garment for every video incorporated into our web site. If you have a case for a tremendous group effort or group video – everyone receives a free garment (if selected). There is no limit to how many videos we may choose. Please be tasteful in your submissions. If quantities are limited in certain garments, you may need to choose another. Questions? Please email angela@medelita.com

I work with with thirty-three different attendings. Who want patients managed, needles held, stitches thrown, lacerations repaired, knots tied thirty-three different ways. It was part of the learning curve, at first, learning which attending liked what, remembering who to call about different problems and learning to not be upset when I didn't remember who preferred what. And now, I'm starting to develop what I like. Many attendings have offered me pearls, on patient management and surgical skills, and I'm starting to develop a framework of what I want to do, what I think works well. And this is even more frustrating, because then I end up with someone new, who doesn't like the way I am doing something, and makes me do it a way that doesn't feel natural, or right. And really, no one is very wrong, but it means I am never right. It's like how some people say "toMAYto" and some say "toMAHto." No one is actually right, and everyone insists that they are. Here are some examples: Yesterday in the OR, an attending showed me a way to reload my needle without touching it with my fingers. Use the pickups, inch it out, and regrasp it in a way that it was ready to throw the next stitch. Better technique, he explained, it would allow me to avoid needlesticks and was a more sophisticated surgical technique. I practice, and look forward to my next c-section, where I can practice it again on a real patient. I start, expecting the attending to be impressed or at least not say anything, but she yanks the needle out of my hand and shows me how to do it....exactly like I used to. I pick up the needle, reload it using my fingers, and silently curse this frustration. An attending that puts me on the stool in front of the mother. She does this under the assumption that this is a good position for me to deliver the baby, but I have figured out the real reason. She puts me on the stool, then waits for the crucial moment when the baby is about the deliver, then rolls me out of the way and delivers the baby herself. Antibiotics. Some give antibiotics for GBS+ mothers at the beginning of inductions, and some only when they are actively laboring. The downside to the first option is a mother can receive fifteen doses of a medication that burns their veins and is unnecessary for that long. Alternatively, a mother can labor quickly and not get enough of a dose in and end up with a baby in observation in the NICU for 48 hours. So, I started to ask each attending, when would you like the pencillin started? They couldn't believe I was asking this, like I didn't know. Then, I would ask with one option offered, would you like this when they are in active labor? Some people then thought I was correct, and some thought I was an idiot. So, no matter what I think or what I would do, I look stupid at least half of the time, just trying to please everyone. I am fairly ambidextrous, and can operate either right or left-handed. Some think this makes me versatile, and encourage maintaining both. Others yell at me to pick a side and stick with it. Now I don't know which side to stand on. Likewise, I can clamp and cut cords after delivery lefthanded. Usually I hold the baby in my right arm, tucking baby's feet under the crook of my elbow, and clamp and cut lefthanded. I don't know why I do this. It just feels right, to hold the baby securely in my more dominant arm, and use my left hand for the instruments. But, attendings sometimes ask me if I'm right or left handed, and when I tell them right-handed but better with fine motor skills with my left (due to violin training, I think), they frustratedly instruct me that I should only be managing scissors around a newborn with my dominant hand. Again, I'm not sure which that is. There are probably infinite variations on how to do one surgery, one delivery, and that's what I'm learning. Even though I've never had a bad surgical outcome, somehow I am always wrong with how I do it. I'm trying to take the best of everyone's suggestions (ie yelled orders), and compile it into my own technique, but starting to realize that it will be awhile before I can really employ what I think is best. And I can't say I wouldn't be the same later, after a career's worth of doing what I decided is best...I'd probably want to hand my hard-earned knowledge along too. But it's frustrating now. I think I'll go sit down on the roll-ey stool and practice reloading my needle. Medelita Guest Blogger: Dr. Anne Kennard. Anne is an OB/GYN resident in Phoenix. She has kept a collection of writings about medicine/becoming a doctor since her second year of medical school, and we're honored to welcome her as a guest blogger for Medelita.

In April, we introduced Complimentary Shipping on orders over $100. Lab coats. Scrub sets. Clogs. Any combination of items in your cart over $100 automatically earns UPS ground shipping free of charge.

Now, in addition to complimentary ground shipping for any location within the continental U.S., all orders over $200 (before taxes, coupons, gift certificates, or store credit) also automatically receive Complimentary Name & Title Embroidery. Name & Title embroidery turns a professional lab coat or scrub set into a personal statement of accomplishment and prestige.

We offer similar promotions at the numerous medical conferences we attend throughout the year, but we felt that extending this automated service online was the best way to show appreciation to all Medelita customers and colleagues, in person or not. No coupons. No fuss. Just easy ordering and the best service we can give.

Call 877.987.7979 between 8a – 5p PST, email contact.us@medelita.com, or choose the live chat option at www.medelita.com if we can assist you in placing a new order, a re-order, or in answering any of your questions. We welcome the chance to assist you personally.

I used to be pretty. Theoretically, I still could be. I have some decent raw material. Taller than average. Slender, athletic frame, if a little pear-shaped. Hair that is straight without intervention, light brown with natural strawberry highlights. Brown eyes, dark eyelashes, full lips. Clear skin with a few freckles. Maybe not beautiful, but okay. More than some people have to start out with, and I feel like I should make the most of it. I'm working in the clinic right now. I adore office work. Things that most people take for granted- sleeping at night, wearing your own clothes to work, eating lunch- are joys that I get to experience in clinic that I don't usually get while working on the wards. I can put on pants that fit, a purple shirt that looks good with my skin tone, and put on thirty seconds worth of makeup. Undereye concealer, powder, a little blush, a lipstick that has been in my white coat for months. Four people stop me this morning to tell me how great I look. "Wow, are you wearing makeup?" "You look great!" "I like you in your clothes" (side note: does this sound inappropriate to you? Would you also like me out of my clothes?) "You are really pretty." They always sound a little surprised when they say that. I smile and laugh a little. I tell them thank you, that this is how I used to look in my other life. This is how I looked before I went to medical school, became a doctor, and worked harder/got less sleep than a mother of perpetually newborn twins. When I'm at the hospital, I wear the required men's scrubs. They are too short, hug my hips too tight, and gap in the chest. My hair is always up and never combed. Sometimes I wear my surgical hat even when I'm not going to the OR, just because I feel like it's cuter than my head. My skin is dull, I have pimples from my surgical mask, and I look bruised on the thin skin under my eyes. My joints ache with tiredness. I look weary. I feel old. I always sort of wondered when I would start looking older. I look young for my age, and always have. Indeed, the "little doc" came out of people's surprise that I was old enough and accomplished enough to be wearing a white coat. When would I stop looking like the "little doc" and just a doctor? Now I know. I think this process will age me. Like the presidents. Those guys always start out looking okay, and gradually their wrinkles form and deepen, the skin looks sallow, their hair goes gray. By the end of the term, they have aged much more than four years. And I think this four years of residency will do the same to me. However, hopefully then I will have a stable practice that I love, a little more sleep at night, and more working hours during the daytime. I can wear comfortable scrubs that are made for women. I'll feel better, even though I'll be older. And hopefully I'll make enough money to buy more expensive cosmetics, and afford a few units of Botox. I think I'll probably need them. :) Medelita Guest Blogger: Dr. Anne Kennard. Anne is an OB/GYN resident in Phoenix. She has kept a collection of writings about medicine/becoming a doctor since her second year of medical school, and we're honored to welcome her as a guest blogger for Medelita.

One consistent request we've heard from our customers and colleagues has been for lighter weight fabric. Originally, we intended to wait until our current inventory was gone before we introduced the new fabrics. But we're not patient when it comes to providing the absolute best in high quality lab coats and scrubs. We're now launching every lab coat in our brand new lighter weight fabric, and offering our existing inventory of original fabric at a discounted price. If you love our original fabrics, now is the time to get a few extra lab coats at 20% off - while supplies last. Here is a summary of the newest upgrades to Medelita lab coats, including perfectly draping, lighter weight fabric and numerous upgrades in durability.

With Father's Day rapidly approaching, I'm sure you're wondering what to get the medical man in your life. For a discerning and stylish man who seemingly has everything, here are a few perfect, high-end gifts to make this Father's Day one to remember: 1. Personalized Medelita Men's Lab Coat From classic to dental-specific and iPad-compatible styles, our Medelita Men’s lab coats are leaps and bounds ahead of anything else on the market. For the ultimate gesture, consider adding name & title embroidery - a statement of professionalism and aptitude. This weekend, starting Friday June 1st at 12pm PST and ending Sunday at 11:59pm PST, we're offering complimentary name & title embroidery with the purchase of any lab coat or scrub set. You will also receive our beautiful and elegant gift wrapping on every order at no additional charge up until June 17th. Delivery by Father Day's on June 17th is guaranteed for embroidered items purchased by June 4th and non-embroidered items purchased by June 11th. 2. Shirt from Ledbury

A Ledbury shirt is a classic touch of tailoring to wear beneath his lab coat. A maker of high quality men’s dress shirts, Ledbury is building a brand based on the core value of great fit and superb quality. Ledbury shirts feature an Angle-American collar that won’t collapse, an ideal V cut at the neckline, the finest italian woven fabrics, a better fit, mother-of-pearl buttons, and a high stitch count – all of which are hallmarks of a high quality shirt. 3. Pen from Montblanc

Every man needs a pen, and with Montblanc, they can write those prescriptions in style. Montblanc, synonymous for the very highest writing culture for the past 100 years, has followed lasting values such as quality and traditional craftsmanship. Its uncompromising demands of shape, style, materials, and workmanship have been reflected in its products, ranging from luxury ballpoint and fountain tip pens to mechanical pencils. 4. Custom Wedge from Scratch Golf

For the man that loves to relax on the golf course, Scratch Golf in an industry leader in award-winning custom irons and wedges. The only company to specialize in fitting the sole grind (the part of the club that interacts with the turf at impact) of a golf club, every Scratch wedge is handmade and matched to a player’s style of swing. 5. Intelliskin Performance Shirt

All those hours standing in the operating room can put quite a strain on the back – Intelliskin is the solution. The IntelliSkin shirt is scientifically designed to retrain the body to achieve optimal muscular balance and function through proper alignment and quality of movement. Created by sports medicine expert and accomplished athlete, Dr. Tim Brown, IntelliSkin products incorporate advanced sports science, medical research and design and construction to naturally trigger an instant, predictable sensorimotor response. Positive results are nearly 100% predictable, which is why IntelliSkin is the intelligent second skin recommended by leading health professionals and elite athletes worldwide. 6. Italian Leather Physician Bag from Forzieri

The physician bag is a classic accessory for a stylish and professional man. Vintage style matched with unprecented quality, Forzieri doctor bags have been enchanting the world since 1998 by featuring cutting-edge emerging designers, undiscovered master artisans and iconic fashion houses.

Does the medical man in your life own an iPad? If so, consider giving him a Laennec iPad lab coat for Father's Day this year - complete with name & title embroidery for the perfect finishing touch. As iPads continue to grow as a key extension of a doctor’s arsenal, Medelita is dedicated to remaining on the cutting edge of this convergence of technology in medicine. The Laennec lab coat for men fits an iPad to accommodate tablet users in the healthcare profession who simply need a place to put their mobile devices while they use both hands to work. The improved lab coat design allows doctors, clinicians, and other medical professionals to keep their iPad comfortably and securely right by their hip in their lab coat. The new iPad pockets are reinforced along the seam and designed to offer easy access to a tablet while ensuring that it remains snugly protected - no more bumping, jostling, or falling out during a demanding shift. At Medelita, product development is fueled by the evolving needs of the customer, and this modern and stylish lab coat is sure to be a Father's Day hit.