Enclothed Cognition

My first rotation was terrifying. Internal medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital in Brooklyn. I remember driving there the first morning, watching the sun peek through project housing, thinking “where is everyone???”

Albert Ross Tilley, CM OBE (November 24, 1904 – April 19, 1988) was a Canadian plastic surgeon who pioneered the treatment of burned airmen during Second World War. Tilley was born in Bowmanville, Ontario and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1929. He was one of the first physicians in Canada to train in plastic surgery, and was the first to teach plastic surgery at Queen's University. A member of the Canadian Army Medical Corps Militia, Tilley was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Medical Branch at the start of the Second World War and became the Principal Medical Officer. In 1942, he worked at the Queen Victoria Hospital with Dr. Archibald McIndoe where burned airmen were treated. Their patients referred to themselves as the Guinea Pig Club. The treatment of burns via surgery was still in its infancy, and these badly wounded men underwent a great deal of experimental reconstructive plastic surgery. One man, Air Gunner Les Wilkins, lost his face and hands and his fingers were recreated by making incisions between his knuckles. Many burns required several surgical operations that took years to accomplish. Initially the club was a drinking club whose aim was to help rehabilitate its members during their long reconstructive treatments. It was formed in June 1941 with 39 patients. By the end of the war, the Guinea Pig Club had 649 members. In 2006, Albert Ross Tilley was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame for "his exceptional skills and radical new medical techniques, his total devotion to the treatment of airmen’s burns and reconstruction of deformities, his understanding of the need to treat both the body and the spirit, giving his patients the will and ability to reintegrate into society, have benefited Canada and the world."

Wilder Graves Penfield, OM, CC, CMG, FRS (January 26, 1891 – April 5, 1976) was, ironically, the son of a failed physician. In 1899, his father's failed medical practice forced his mother to take the children to live with her parents, becoming a writer, housekeeper, and Bible teacher in order to support her family. In 1909, Wilder attended Princeton University, and became actively involved in both football and wrestling, as he earned a degree in philosophy. Though his initial direction had not been to follow in his father's (albeit failed) footsteps, a desire to help people and a passion ignited by his college biology classes, inspired him to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship. In 1914, he left America to attend the University of Oxford in England. As a student, Wilder Penfield was assisted by our own Sir William Osler, Oxford’s Regius Professor of Medicine. Osler invited the young American to accompany him on medical consultations around England from one hospital to another, and through his association, Penfield came to regard medicine as "mankind's most noble calling." Eager to help his fellow man, Penfield was also a volunteer for the Red Cross, and in 1916, the ship on which he was travelling for the Red Cross was blown up by a German torpedo in the English Channel. He was reported dead and his obituary was published in an American newspaper, but he in fact survived the attack, spending several weeks in recovery. Over the course of the next several years, Wilder Penfield traveled extensively, working in Baltimore, Paris, Boston, London, New York, Madrid, and Montreal as he delved further into the study of neurology. While working as a member of the faculty at McGill University, Penfield was called upon to remove his sister's brain tumor. After finding that the tumor was malignant and far advanced, Penfield performed a more radical operation than most neurosurgeons would have dared to attempt. Although the operation made it possible for his sister to enjoy a normal life again, he was unable to safely remove all of the malignant cells and she died three years later. His sister's case spurred Wilder Penfield to establish The Montreal Institute of Neurology, which opened in 1934 and became the world's first international center for research and treatment related to diseases of the nervous system.

I'm sure you all remember the moment that you received your first white coat. For some of our colleagues, it was during a White Coat Ceremony - a tradition symbolic of the beginning of your medical journey. For many, like guest blogger, Dr. Anne Kennard, the moment didn't live up to expectations. "The White Coat Ceremony was the beginning of medical school, the confirmation that yes, I was going to be a doctor, and I couldn't wait. As the dean of the program called my name and placed the coat on my shoulders, I smiled . . . and then noticed that the sleeves almost covered my fingers. I walked off the stage, a little disconcerted, pulling the coat around me, finding that it could wrap around far past the buttons." For others, disappointment followed a frustrating shopping trip. "I distinctly remember buying my first lab coat, required before starting PA school," says Founder, Lara Manchik, PA-C, "I went into a local uniform store that was stocked to the ceiling with completely shapeless, frumpy options. I was perplexed at the sizing that meant nothing to me, and the fabric that was abrasive and stiff. An initially exciting event had just turned sour, and I can remember that experience (15 years ago) clear as day. " Our primary goal at Medelita is to ensure that medical professionals feel confident and polished in their medical garments. Yet from everything we've heard and experienced, a reluctant acceptance of low-quality garments seems to be an intrinsic medical school experience. Never a company to shy away from challenges, we're seeking to shift this paradigm by offering a 25% discount on our line of professional student lab coats. By offering this deep discount on our Elizabeth B. women's student lab coat and our Fleming men's student lab coat, we're hoping to make these quality garments more accessible for medical students. Through this program, we're dedicated to providing medical students with garments deserving of their chosen career - tailored lab coats that reflect the prestige and aptitude of the path ahead of them. For Anne Kennard, MD, Medelita made a difference that it's our sincere hope to bring to students nationwide, "Then, I got my Medelita white coat. [...] Now, I walk in confidently, knowing that I look professional and polished, and that this is a better representation of me." Please forward or share this with your colleagues, and help us to make medical students more aware of the discount available to them.

We have a tradition here at Medelita of naming our lab coats after medical pioneers – extraordinary men and women in history that have contributed to the medical field in interesting ways. For our next men’s lab coat, a prestigious looking, highly tailored coat that exudes professionalism, we've given our customers a chance to get involved. William James Mayo, MD was just one of the names suggested - and I'll be examining more of our submissions in the coming days. “The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered." These words, spoken by William James Mayo, M.D., reflect the patient-centric ideology of this famous physician. One of the seven founders of the Mayo Clinic, W.J. Mayo was greatly involved in the creation of the world's first private integrated group practice. Born the children of a pioneer physician, William and his brother Charles often accompanied their father on his rounds, gaining more responsibility as they grew older. At the age of 16, William accompanied his father to an abandoned hotel, where a patient had just died, and watched his father perform the autopsy. Needing to attend another patient, Dr. Mayo left his son to finish the procedure. "Sew up the incisions and then tuck the sheet around the corpse. When you finish, go right home." William recounted the incident many years later saying, "I'm about as proud of the fact that I walked out, instead of ran, as of anything else I ever made myself do." William James Mayo continued to follow his father's example. He earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1883, and, when a tornado stuck their home of Rochester that same year, the Mayos were instrumental in establishing a temporary hospital to treat the injured. Following the incident, Dr. Mayo and his two sons worked with the Sisters of Saint Francis to establish Saint Mary's Hospital - the foundation of the Mayo Clinic.

In the spirit of making continual changes for the better, based on customer/colleague feedback, we've made another one. Free shipping on orders over $100. Lab coats. Scrub sets. Clogs. Any combination of items in your cart over $100 – it's now an automatic feature of our website. We're committed to making our quality lab coats and scrubs as easy to order as possible. We're always available during business hours to answer your calls and assist with the ordering process, but we wanted to go an extra step to make our online ordering process much simpler. As a service to our customers, all orders over $100 (before taxes, coupons, gift certificates, or store credit) will now receive free ground shipping for any location within the U.S. No shipping decisions to make and no extra charges . . . just quick and easy ordering, so you can look and feel confident, poised, and professional with minimal effort.

Presidential candidates are under more scrutiny now than I believe ever before in history - from personal conduct to physical health. However, many past U.S. presidents suffered from unusual health conditions during their elected terms. Here are three of the most interesting examples: George Washington George Washington was never painted smiling, and I have to wonder if that set the standard for 'serious' presidential portraits. But much like Mona Lisa, George's smile (or lack of one) hides a secret - due to poor oral hygiene, by the time he became president, he only had one real tooth left in his mouth! During his inauguration as the first president of the United States, Washington actually wore a pair of dentures made from gold and carved hippopotamus ivory. James Buchanan A man often characterized as courteous and sensitive, James Buchanan's reputation may have had more to do with his eyesight than his personality. Farsighted in one eye and nearsighted in the other, the unusual condition caused him to tilt his head slightly forward and sideways when talking to other people - a gesture mistakenly attributed to his demeanor. John F Kennedy The seeming poster-child for youth and vigor, the 35th U.S. president was hospitalized more than three dozen times in his life. Suffering from Addison's Disease, by the time John F Kennedy was president, he was taking ten to twelve medications a day - antispasmodics for his bowel, muscle relaxants, pain medications, testosterone, and sleep aids. He was also getting injected sometimes six times a day, six places on his back, by the White House physician, just to enable him to face the day. JFK also wore a back brace, which some argue contributed to his death by keeping him erect after the first shot was fired. While I have no doubt the stress of the job contributed to the ill health of some of our past presidents, many of their conditions were pre-existing. Today, their illnesses may even have kept them from being elected.

We're a highly visual species, and we live in an ever-changing world where visual representation is paramount. Information - in both pedestrian and scientific settings, from traffic signals to anatomical charts gives us more information than we realize.

"Our clothes are too much a part of us for most of us ever to be entirely indifferent to their condition: it is as though the fabric were indeed a natural extension of the body, or even of the soul," once stated the author, artist, critic, and biographer (and nephew of Virginia Woolf), Quentin Bell. We couldn't agree more, and that's part of why we're so meticulous about the quality, fabric, and function of our lab coats and scrubs. After months of thoughtful design and development, we're proud to present our newest lab coat designed for female clinicians - the Emma W. lab coat. Here are the top 5 features of the Emma W. lab coat for women: 1. An Exceptional New Collar Design Whether you call it a tuxedo collar or a shawl collar, this striking design truly sets the Emma W. lab coat apart. This modern collar is often seen on new, high-end women’s blazers, and translates very well to a white lab coat. Feedback to date is that it has both a formal look and an everyday, professional look – and thus is ideal for everyday wear in clinical practice. The slimmer collar design also prevents embroidery coverage, which is often the case on our smaller sized lab coats with larger lapels. 2. The Best of the Estie Two features on the Estie lab coat are sincerely loved by our customers/colleagues. The blazer style slit chest pocket (also fully functional) is great because it doesn’t draw attention to one side of your chest, and is the perfect frame for name & title embroidery. And the flat belt that wraps around the front, originally on the Estie, and placed at the true waist for the most flattering definition. Both features have been adopted for the new Emma W. lab coat. 3. The Best of the Callia The Emma W. has a loose back waist belt with buttons, quite similar to the original Callia lab coat. And the Emma also has traditional side vents, like the Callia – a welcomed, very traditional feature of a longer white lab coat. 4. Slimming Features The Emma W. complements all figures, but slimming vertical princess seams (both front and back) and pleating below the bust make this coat especially flattering for women of all sizes. 5. Comfortable and Functional Fabric Now in the most ideal weight lab coat fabric to date, our lightweight 100% pre-shrunk cotton fabric resists wrinkling and is distinctly more breathable than polyester-blend fabrics. Certified performance fabric by DuPont repels fluid, soil and stains - including blood - for over 50 washings, allowing a bright white finish that signifies professionalism and prestige.

How do you add excitement to an otherwise monotone, day after day, scrub set? For many medical and dental professionals, Sanita® Clogs are a way to add some self-expression to an otherwise repetitive uniform, while still maintaining a polished appearance. Sanita has been making supreme quality Danish clogs since 1907, and season after season they continue to surprise us with their awesome new styles. The premium leathers, professional designs, and durability of Sanita clogs represent a perfect blend of tradition and innovation. One of the new styles, The Sanita Professional Electra Clog, features water resistant leather, ensuring easy care and maintenance with extended wear. Available in several color combinations with contrast piping, you can add a splash of contemporary color to your rather uniform . . . well, uniform. Awarded the “Seal of Acceptance” by the APMA (American Podiatric Medical Association) for their supreme quality and comfort, the oiled leather and reinforced stabilizing instep offers additional padding, while the protective heel cap provides support. Anatomically designed, Sanita clogs ensure a perfect and comfortable fit. This month we are featuring Sanita professional clogs in a number of new men’s and women’s styles that offer a finished look when paired with our scrubs and lab coats. And – for a limited time, we’re offering our entire line of professional clogs at a special 20% discount. Just enter the code “ComfyClogs” (all one word) at checkout.