Thursday, January 28, 2010

Nah Sweat

Toothbrush in mouth...

The heavens declare the glory of God, so says the Psalmist. Ah, if only he had a microscope and a Board Review Series for physiology! In my opinion: The glomerulus declares the glory of God, its portal circulation system proclaims the work of His hands!

One of my favorite prayers is to thank God for the opportunity I've been given to learn the things I do. Medical students make up an incredibly small fraction of the population, and I must say we are a fortunate few. Sometimes I get such a kick out of the stuff we learn. As an undergraduate, I learned about ion channels which let charged particles flow in and out of cell membranes. As a medical student I learned the mechanics of those ion channels. It turns out that the channels are operated by tiny magnetic gates, in the presence of an electrical charge, the magnet is attracted to it's opposite charge and it opens the membrane. As the charge accumulates on the opposite side, the magnet slides in the opposite direction and closes it. Fascinating! The more I learn about biology, the more I learn how simply mechanical everything is. Don't get me started on the molecular machinery of proteins...

The study of science is unique in that every other field of study looks in to man-made things. Economics, business, language, history, art, etc are all man-made things. Science is essentially the indirect study of God.

Another unique aspect of medical school is human dissection. We are literally taking a look at every single part of the human body. The volume of information is both daunting and exciting. Have you any idea how many blood vessels are in the abdomen? Not to mention the nerves, and don't forgot what spinal cord segments they originate from!

There are really only 2 kinds of people that get to pick apart the human body like we do: medical students and serial killers. Kind of a trip.

I am finding it hard to reconcile the idea that the body is beautiful and a work of art, while at the same time hacking away at a cadaver. I am also struggling to appreciate the body as this vastly intricate structure while maintaining the notion that it is simply a vehicle. God sure put a lot of work into something that is essentially disposable. I am becoming one with the human body. Nothing disgusts me, nothing embarrasses me. Every part of the body is both sacred and mundane. Where in this world/body view can I find room to simply be attracted to the female form?

Gross anatomy is altogether fascinating, disenchanting, illuminating, thrilling, brutal, and so very frank.

2 comments:

Team ed. said...

Apparently toothbrush in mouth leads you to express yourself beautifully.

Team ed. said...

p.s. I'm gonna argue you on the fact that language is man made. It's at the heart of many, if not all things. Language, in its richest, God-intended form is at the heart of creation and its Creator :)