At present in my medical

At present in my medical career I am steeped in Neuroscience. How intense does that sound? I think if you add "neuro-" to anything, it will automatically sound more difficult and awesome, and certainly more worthy of respect. For example, I am not merely studying the anatomy of the brain, I am studying Neuroanatomy (capitalization added for emphasis). Not pathology (which is a pretty nice word in and of itself), but Neuropatholgy. Instead of embryology, Neuroembryology. Actually, i made that last one up, but it could be a word, and if it were it would sound very impressive.

Here are some actual sample titles of lectures that I have been privy to in the past week: "Histology of the Nervous Tissue." "Somatosensory Systems." "Pain Syndromes and Physiology." "The Visual System: Cortical Organization." "Your Brainstem, Your Self: What Your Medulla Oblongata Can Do for You." Actually, I made that last one up as well.

Here's a cool word: pons. The pons. Kind of a brainstem-meets-Happy Days kind of thing.

Today I saw mold on a human brain.

One of the amazing things about this course (not counting being an entire week behind due to inclement weather and inopportune laziness) is the opportunity to examine and dissect real human brains. The brains come from the cadavers that are dissected in gross anatomy the first year. Last year I actually missed the day where we opened the skull and took out the brain (though I did get to saw the rest of the skull in half the follwoing day - one of the more surreal things I have ever done). But these puppies have been sitting in buckets since october, and some are a little worse for wear. You know that blue/greenish mold that forms in little discs on the surface of yogurt or on the inside lid of spaghetti sauce jars? Well, apparently that stuff likes brains as well. But who can blame it - its a great source of protein.

It truly is incredible to hold a brain in your hand, though. Suprisingly heavy, stragely dense, unnervingly fragile... the seat of all thought, emotion, movement, function. The ancient greeks used to think the pineal gland (a little pinecone shaped thing at the top of the brainstem) was the seat of the soul. Well, now we know that it has to do with regulation of the circadian rhythm, but still, how amazing is that?

Learning about all the myriad pathways, and relay centers, and regulation systems in excruciating detail kind of demystifies things, but the more things make sense, the more unbelievable it is that it all actually works, and that the end result is a fully sensient, conscious, thinking person. A person, who, if anything like me, has a lot more to cram in there somewhere before the exam on tuesday.

I think I might get a cat this weekend.
--------