The Culture of Healthcare Through the Lens of Dr. Warren
Man, with his physical and mental mechanisms, is the most complex machine on earth. With a remarkable capacity for responding to external and internal stimuli, humans have an incredible instrument for survival. Indeed, the intricate architecture of the body, whether observed from the microscopic or the macroscopic level, has always perplexed humans. Furthermore, the human body is consistently under attack from microorganisms that can cause a variety of harmful disorders and infections. To compete against these maladies, humans have turned to understanding anatomy and developing medicine, a field of study that has produced a culture of unparalleled determination.
The culture of healthcare has its own values and norms. For example, respect for the human body is among the most fundamental values that members of the medical society possess. This admiration will lead to an irresistible curiosity about the makeup of the body and how illnesses can be conquered. The norms of healthcare culture revolve around the goal of maintaining health. For example, hospitals are the constructions of the most risk-averse people; notoriously clean with the undertone of bleach and a flat design that does not provide bacteria with a single hiding place. A hospital and the people inside have a space that is enriched in the culture of healthcare, a culture that has a common curiosity and a common goal.
Founded in 1847 by Harvard professor John Collins Warren, the Warren Anatomical Museum is inside the Library of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Warren had a personal collection of over 150 different biological specimens that were displayed in his museum as well as functioning as instructional devices for his medical students. Today, the museum has a collection of over 15,000 items, which include medical instruments and anatomical preparations that fascinate an audience of investigative students and allow them to easily absorb the knowledge. Dr. Warren valued the childish marvel in his students and knew how to exhibit his rare items to stimulate this same curiosity in the sightseers of his museum.
Dr. Warren was also a great educator and one of the most celebrated surgeons of the 19th century. He was the first dean of Harvard Medical School and the founder of the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading publisher of medical research that provides the world with news of the progress of premium innovation from the Boston hub of unsurpassed hospitals. His mindfulness of healthcare directed him to see the worth in teaching others and this was evident in his successes as dean and as founder of the world’s most successful medicine journal. Even his museum is centered around an instructional foundation: “The Museum seeks to continue in the tradition of promoting the collection for the purposes of medical education in all forms whenever possible, as well as expand its scope to provide public programming and educational resources to the larger community.”
The objects on display were noteworthy to medical history, such as the inhaler that was used for the first demonstration of ether-assisted surgery and the infamous skull of Phineas Gage. One of the greatest medical mysteries of all time, the story of Phineas Gage changed the entire field of psychiatry and neurology. While working on a railroad, an iron rod was shot (via an explosion) through the upper jaw and the skull of Gage but he was remarkably operative and even took himself to the local doctor. However, his personality changed after removal of the rod which led doctors to the conclusion that the prefrontal cortex must be vital in personality and expression, revolutionizing thought in neurobiology at the time. Such a bizarre case made many eager to learn the complexities of the human brain and the various roles of different parts. Thus, Dr. Warren had to have the skull as a part of his museum because of its educational value and its ability to invoke interest in anyone.
Furthermore, Dr. Warren had a fascination with strange abnormalities of the body. He knew that a physical abnormality can be very insightful in the understanding of the biological functioning of the human body given the particularity of the deformity. Thus, the remnants of an anomaly have abundant educational value to the scientific community. While many were frightened of these abnormalities, Dr. Warren regarded them as educational tools for future prevention of such abnormalities and for current understanding of the human body and mind. However, his museum does have an eerie ambiance given its many presentations of unnatural mutations.
The museum mirrors the culture of the healthcare system because of its similarity to hospitals. The white walls, the polyester flooring, the large hallways, and the open spaces are all qualities of a hospital that the museum shares. Additionally, the museum is used to teach thus explaining the science fair type display that allow student to learn via an intellectual and visual experience.
Dr. Warren’s impact on medical education shaped the way health is studied today. His capacity to ignite the interest of any student was customary in his museum as well as the prevalence of the medical culture that is comparable to the hospital setting.