March 28th- April 3rd
And so it was we wandered around the halls of the Museum of
Aenesthesia here in Bonn. All sorts of contraptions were kept behind the glass
casing, some more disturbing than others. It was interesting to see how
decorative some of the Victorian pieces were, it wasn’t just about doling out
anaesthesia, but also about creating something beautiful. Velvet lined tubing
of the richest red, ornate knobs and ends, I kind of wish it was like that now,
instead of the boxy, clunky things we see today.
It’s impossible not to admire the early scientists and physicians
who put so much effort into curing pain, especially when everything in the
world must have been stacked against them. To many, pain was seen as an
essential part of the healing process. To heal was to suffer, to suffer to
heal. It seems bizarre nowadays, but I suppose it mightn’t have to people who
could proffer no remedy for such a thing. When the first operation using
anesthesia was successfully completed one of the men exclaimed, ‘this is the
dawn of the era of the end of pain’. In some ways so right, in others so
woefully wrong. No matter though, we have to be thankful to them for their
dedication to such an idea. Without it, where would we be?
An iron lung stands in the museum as a solemn reminder of the
suffering endured by countless thousands at the hands of polio. It’s nerve
wracking to think that the disease is making a come back. When you hear of
people advocating against vaccination, sometimes, you just want to say, Here, come back in time with me. Let me show
you this! The eradication of
smallpox, the diminishment of polio to the brink of death… To me these things
are a testament to the power of human ingenuity, to the beauty of science.
We’re not such a hopeless species as some say. Our propensity for compassion
outweighs a million fold our propensity for evil. At least, it’s what I
believe.
Dun nuh nuh nuh, nan uh! And so it was Big Event descended on us! We
headed to to the Rhine to pluck bottle caps from the ground, unwind plastic
bags from the boughs of trees, to prance upon bottles hidden in the bushes
& to generally de-clutter a place that’s practically pristine. So, now I
suppose it’s slightly more pristine. The day was fun though, and plenty of
Germans stopped to thank us, which was nice. I felt a little bit more a part of
Bonn that day. We stopped off for gelato later (chocolate and strawberry, yum!)
& wandered through a riverside market. A charming day, for sure.
Whoa, I’ve been rambling. Well, that’s it for now!
Turrah!
Ashleigh
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