When it comes down to it the smart choice when it comes to childbirth is to have a doctor on hand who can help with any problems. There are so many things that can go wrong is it really worth not only the child's life but the mothers if their is serious cause for concern. It is only proven when you look throughout history with statistics on successful childbirths throughout time and how we have progressed. Now while as I said I completely believe this is the only choice, it is reasonable to understand the beliefs of others. Some are deathly opposed to medicated child births, so while it is obvious the cautious approach is birth in a hospital; it is the right of the mother and the childs family to go about it in the way they wish. (Within reason of course)

John Plevel

Women and Childbirth

I thought that our discussion on childbirth in class was interesting. Talking about the pros and cons of a home birth versus a hospital birth. I think that if a woman's pregnancy is normal and she is not at risk for anything, it is completely their choice as to which they want to do. I do think that the father of the child or whoever the significant other is should have a say. I feel like that is a discussion that should happen prior to getting pregnant or at least in the beginning of the pregnancy, this way it isn't a shock or fight when it comes down to it.


From what I have seen on TV, read, and been told by those who have had one, home births are more calming and easier compared to a hospital birth. While this might be true, I also think that it depends on the woman. I talked to my mom about this and she said that when she had me and my two siblings her time at the hospital was nice and she never felt like they were trying to get rid of her. She didn't want IVs or an epidural and they never tried to make her change that. Her birthing processes for all of us was painful of course but wasn't that hard for her. I also talked to my aunt who was in labor for 24 hours with my cousin and ended up having to have a c-section.  That just shows right there that all women have different experiences during childbirth. 

Mutter Museum Thoughts

After watching the video from the Mutter museum we discussed whether we thought that they were for medical students as they claimed or if they were more geared for the public. While I do believe that medical students could learn things from the museum from the various exhibits within it, it seemed to me like it was more of a place for the public to come into.

I think that when they related that some things are famous because of who had previously owned them to parts of the bodies of famous people in the museum shows that fact. If it was for medical reasons then it shouldn't matter who the body part had belonged to. Yes, it is important to know the person's age and occupation as those can be factors to whatever the ailment was, but it shouldn't matter what their name was if it is for purely medical study. The other thing that made me think that it was more for public attendance was the showing of the shrunken heads. On one hand I do agree with Callie, that you can study them as an important part of a culture. But on the other hand if the purpose of the museum is for the medical students to study to prevent those diseases from happening, the shrunken heads don't really have a place.

I do think that in the case of Chang and Eng's liver, that it should be returned to their family, with just a cast of it remaining at the museum. With that in mind I still think that the museum is a good place for people to become aware of different diseases, whether they occur in our country on a regular basis or not.

I was very appalled with some of the things I learned this week about how our male dominated society has medicalized women. Until now I hadn't recognized the gender biases present in the history of medical practices. In particular I was astonished about the fact Rory brought up from the Vagina Monologues, that clitoridectamies were practiced to stop female masturbation, yet there is a complete double standard because no surgical interventions have ever been practices to stop males from masturbation. I also cannot believe that only 70 years ago these practices were being forced upon innocent little girls. I feel that is much too recent for something so inhumane, but so is much of the rest of human history.
Allison

I think it is important for the Mutter Museum to be open to the public. Some people mentioned in class that it is disrespectful to the bodies of those encased in the museum to be displayed for the public entertainment; however I feel that if these bodies are going to be in a museum it shouldn’t matter if the viewer has a MD, a PHd or neither. The contents of the museum hold educational value that should not be restricted from anyone who finds an interest in it and decides to walk into the museum. It is obvious that some people do in fact view the museum for its entertainment purpose, but education in general I feel has an entertainment value. What entertains one person may entertain AND inspire another. My point is that maybe an average person could walk into the Mutter Museum and see something that completely astonishes them, they could later use that information to do something truly important to the world, or they could not and they could have simly been entertained for a few hours. Either way it shouldn’t matter, if the bodies are in their present condition in the museum it should always be open to the medical community as well as the general public. I think its silly to think that only a member of the medical community could learn from it.
Allison

The Mutter museum a necessary evil

The Mutter Museum definitely shows a very important aspect of our history. Like discussed in class it gives a great real worldview of disease and some of the most unknown entities in science to medical students who would otherwise be clueless of what to do if faced with unusual situations. I also helps doctors with years of experience solve problems they nothing about, which in turn saves lives. While the preservation of some of these bodies and organs is quite nasty and unnatural in its own right I believe that for the most part it is for the betterment of science and even humanity. 

John Plevel

The Mutter Museum

I believe exhibitions like the Mutter Museum are important.  Medical maladies and injuries, deformities and the like are all interesting.  The purpose of a museum is to educate and to foster knowledge.  This museum clearly serves that purpose.  We only see what is on display, not what is archived.  As non-medical students, should we be the ones to judge how valuable this museum is to medical science? I'm willing to bet that there are many students and doctors who will testify as to not only the validity, but also the important of museums like the Mutter.