Over the summer, IMSS had the privilege of working with two, bright young Chicago-area students through our Summer Youth Internship Program. As we look back at our past year at IMSS, we wanted to share with you our Intern’s reflections on their time working with the Museum.
Introduction
Before starting my youth Internship at IMSS, I had only been here a few times, mostly with my parents, who are avid fans of the museum. However, once I heard about their summer employment for high school students, I knew I needed to join the team. Having an interest in both marketing and neuroscience, I figured a museum centered around the history of medicine and surgery would be a perfect fit. Once I began here, I mainly worked at the front desk, where I was able to connect and converse with our visitors on a level I never anticipated beforehand.
Since IMSS draws in a bit of a specific niche, you begin to notice certain patterns in customers, and moreso, those who break those patterns. One of the most common types of visitors we receive are doctors, of all ages and all specialties. From first year med students to those who have been retired for decades, I am able to meet and hear the stories of those who have found their passion in medicine. It is lovely to think that all of these different people and professionals have been able to find an oasis of their niche in this city at IMSS. However, those who seem like they would never have an interest in surgical science often also appear at our door. The travelers who come from far and wide to see the museum, despite the fact that they are a journalist, or a chef, or a systems engineer. These visitors remind me that medicine, strange artifacts, enthralling murals, and looming statues are for everyone, no matter their background, age, or job. Each one of us can find some sort of unique connection to our lives somewhere within this museum.
The Building Itself
The museum itself provides a unique environment that is far from anywhere else I have been. The stillness of the library, drawing a quiet and calm energy that transports you to the past and makes you feel as though you too once lived in this grand abode. The detail in the Hall of Murals, providing the eeriness and thought of those pictured, and the satisfaction of knowing that medicine and those who practice it have come a long way. The building itself serves as a physical reminder of the past, more importantly, how close it is and how quickly medicine is progressing. By seeing these halls that were once roamed by Elizabeth __, we know that although this house has been around for a longtime, only a few hundred years ago it was a home, and medicine was nowhere near where it is today.
The building itself serves as a physical reminder of the past, more importantly, how close it is and how quickly medicine is progressing.
Today we are able to use this place as a sanctuary to look back and reflect on the progress we have made, both medically and socially throughout history. Let this building, exhibits and all, serve as a reminder that we are still learning. A reminder that as long as humans continue to explore, we will continue to learn and expand our horizons.
Free Will and the Mind: How did we get here?
IMSS, while not a museum dedicated to the brain, shows more about the mind than just its anatomical structure. Today, it is hard to comprehend that we once used medieval, near tortuous methods on patients, for centuries on end too. At one point in time, the brightest minds in medical science were punished for their research, and were limited by their very own governments. Medicine was once seen as a sacrilegious and deviant practice, with the use of medical cadavers being illegal, forcing early medical researchers to go to great lengths in order to obtain a cadaver. This was just the beginning too, once the cadaver was trepidatiously obtained, the professionals were then relatively clueless as to the functions of our organs. Despite all of these limitations, setbacks, pitfalls, and every other term for an obstacle, these early medical professionals persisted. Today, amid new technological advances (just take a look at health and space) it is easy for us to forget where we came from, and to take our access to medicine and research for granted. The Museum of Surgical Science serves as a reminder that we did not end up here overnight, for it took a multitude of individuals’ hard work and dedication .
Some may argue that humans do not possess free will, that each task is predetermined series of electrical impulses in the brain, however the history of medicine demonstrates that despite having the odds stacked against you, being told over and over again that something is not allowed, to refrain, stick to what you know, and dare not explore; humans are still humans, and at the end of the day we have the ability to push boundaries, explore the unknown, and do what we know is right, even if we have been told otherwise
Expanding my horizons
These visitors remind me that medicine, strange artifacts, enthralling murals, and looming statues are for everyone, no matter their background, age, or job. Each one of us can find some sort of unique connection to our lives somewhere within this museum.
One day, while working at the front desk like usual, a woman called and asked about submitting some pieces to potentially be held at the museum, although we get a large amount of these kinds of calls, often different kinds of medical illustrations or an old artifact. The woman on the other end of the line, however, was a surgical photographer. I asked for her information and wished her a good day. Although I often do not review pieces sent in and leave that up to the curators, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a look at the portfolio she had sent over. What I found did not disappoint- photographs of a heart transplant. The images showed surgeons bent over an operating table, bloody surgical tools, the anesthetic set up, and lastly- a heart being removed from the patient’s chest cavity. I nearly screamed. This was my first time (other than my high school biology class dissections) seeing a real organ- and definitely a functioning human one too. I was shocked, freaked out, sick, but also intrigued. I kept scrolling through the portfolio, secretly wanting to see more of this new endeavor. I inspected the different parts, tools, and methods the surgeons in the photos had taken. This was an artform.
Working in a museum centered around surgery has opened my eyes to many things about the practice; what goes into it, the amount of people required, the history of it all, who the pioneers are, etc. However, seeing it up close in those stills resonated with me.
My name is Aislin Anstee and I am a current freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. I am currently studying Neuroscience. I was a summer high school intern at IMSS and was able to learn so much about both history and medicine.
