Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

The Global Child

by Sasha Zuflacht, Union College '13

"My college offers a special term abroad in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Along with four other students I have the unique opportunity to intern in one of the most challenged countries in the world. My program is with the Global Child- a school that provides a rigorous education for former street children. This non-profit provides these kids not only with an education but also with life skills, a cultural understanding of their country and its traditions, and training for employment and citizenship.

I am overwhelmed with both excitement and nerves. I have already fallen in love with the students dedication, maturity and adorable demeanor. Seeing their smiling faces always brightens my day. They have experienced so much turmoil at such young ages, and yet they come to school with such positive attitudes. The Global Child is certainly a school of "today's children, tomorrow's world."

You can follow her at: Sasha's Sojourn in Siem Riep.

Time for Natalia

"Often, we forget what an awsome responsibility and privilege it is to raise a child.  Early Adverse Childhood Experiences can retard some children's development.  In "Time for Natasha," a foster mother/grandmother tells us an important and moving story.  There is a comment from a retired fifth grade teacher as well.

"My granddaughter, Natalia, came to live with me at the age of four.  I never knew how serious a learning disability could be until then.  Her mother had been ill since before her birth.  Her father had been abusive, compelling her to sit and watch television all day.  She wasn't allowed the luxury of play nor did she watch anything age- appropriate.  There was no communication with her mother who was so medicated that she was in deep slumber most of the day.  Communication with her father consisted of constant disapproval and scolding.  I spoke Spanish to her or I'd have noticed her English was distorted beyond recognition.
It broke my heart when I realized that she had no communication skills in English, couldn't write her name, didn't recognize a single letter or sound..."  Download Time for Natalia

Comment from Bonnie Millette, a retired fifth grade teacher, who loved her work and misses the classroom even as she spends her time traveling and experincing the U.S.A.: 

"This grandmother is fantastic!!  She is shaping another life in a positive way.  She has taken on another child and shown her that even if she has a learning disability she can learn. Yes, she may take longer than many children at each grade level and not feel she fits in. As she gets older though she will understand how great it was to have a grandmother and teachers helping her but, as a child she may be more concerned with fitting in and friendships." for more Download Millette

Halloween Cadaver Palaver

"The cadavers gather in early September.  After a cold, dark, lonely summer,  each alone on a gurney, stiffened by cold and formalin, they are glad for the well-lit anatomy laboratory, though one or two express exasperation at the fluorescent lightening which gives their skin a bluish pallor." 

Tonight, Halloween, is their special evening.  Larry Zaroff presents a story about sentient ghouls with heart:  Cadaver Reunion.  Chill out and Download CADAVER REUNION

Author Bio: Larry Zaroff has had five careers: cardiac surgeon, mountaineer, teacher of the medical humanities, writer, and volunteer family doctor.  You may contact him at: Larry Z.

The image is from the New Yorker Cover, 10/31/2005                                                                                  

Raising Zane

by Justin Vincent

he loves animals science the natural world
            he thirsts for information
    connects ideas asks profound questions for his age
        but he has a darker side as well
                he is private
        intrusions can be met with force
    he is sweet but has a temper that breeds anger
            he finds difficult to control
                     he doesn't fit the mold we're told...  more Download Raising Zane

Author Bio: Upon arriving at Stanford University in 2008 as the first in his family to attend college, Justin Vincent intended to delve into cellular and molecular biology in anticipation of a future in biomedical research. As a non-traditional student living on campus with his wife and three children, a series of personal medical experiences prompted a deeper interest in the social and cultural factors that affect health. Justin will graduate in 2011 with a degree in Human Biology and plans to begin Medical School in 2012.

Marginal Notes: Sufficient Depth

As a young man, Samuel Clemens spent two years learning the lay of the Mississippi River to become a licensed riverboat pilot.  No sooner had he completed his apprenticeship than he realized that the topography of the river had changed.  In order to maintain his proficiency, he would have to continue to study the waterway, which remained in a constant state of flux.

Rivers are not the only things that change over the course of time.  Medical knowledge morphs with each new piece of data that is discovered.  Just when we think we’ve got it all figured out, voilà—a piece of information gleaned from the latest research hints that we’re probably off the mark; and so we set off again, chasing a new lead.  >>more

 

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for thirty years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life." 

Advice for Returning Students

On Sunday, September 6, 2009, the Times had a helpful column offering advice to returning students.  The authors are seasoned professors with national and international reputations. Perhaps most helpful for incoming college freshman, these brief homolies will be helpful to all students, and, indeed, to those of us who remain students but have left the formal academes years or even decades ago.

College Advice, From  People Who Have Been there Awhile.

Educators give some helpful advice to young adults entering school this fall.

Authors and Topics Addressed:

The Hunt for a Good Teacher
By STANLEY FISH

An Argument Worth Having
By GERALD GRAFF

By HAROLD BLOOM
Get Lost. In Books

By CAROL BERKIN
Once in class, participate.

Play Politics
By GARRY WILLS

A good newspaper; will be your path to the world
By JAMES MacGREGOR BURNS

My Crush on DNA
By NANCY HOPKINS

College is never what one expects.
By STEVEN WEINBERG

Think about life, not just a job.
By MARTHA NUSSBAUM