Bodies...The Blog

Spinal Cord Injuries

6-4-11

Spinal cord injuries are caused by a number of traumas to the spine. Anything from a car accident, fall, sporting injury, or assault can cause this type of injury. Minor trauma can also cause an injury to the spinal cord if the spine is already weakened. Direct injury can occur to the spinal cord, especially if the bones or the disks surrounding the cord have been damaged. Additionally, if the spine is broken, bone fragments can damage the spinal cord or if a person was in a car accident, metal fragments can cut the spinal cord.

A Paralyzed Man Stands

6-3-11

Rob Summers, a 25-year-old man, has been paralyzed for the past several years. After being hit by a car, he lost all motor control in his legs but was able to use his hands and arms. Rob, an athlete, was determined to walk again and play baseball.

BODIES...The Exhibition, Offering a New Look at Our Human Body

A First-Hand Experience from our Guest Blogger Robbie

6-1-11

The human body is one of the most fascinating machines in the world. Despite the fact that it contains no metal or mechanical parts, the intricate systems that interact within the human body to allow us to walk, talk, and think make it perhaps the most amazing machine in the world.

War Medics Through History

5-26-11

It used to be that if a soldier was wounded, he laid in the field where he had fallen without hope of being rescued. In 1862, Dr. Jonathan Letterman changed this by revamping the Army Medical Corps. He staffed and trained men to operate horse and wagon teams to pick up wounded soldiers and bring them back to field dressing stations for treatment. Considered the father of Modern Battlefield Medicine, Dr. Letterman created a 3-tiered evacuation system, which is still used today. The initial step is the Field Dressing Station, located next to the battlefield. Following this is the Field Hospital, otherwise known as MASH units, and finally the Large Hospital, for patients requiring prolonged treatment.