As of July 1, I began my term as the new HAPS secretary. However, summer is slow for board meetings, so I found alternate ways to practice my skills at observing and recording details.
I just returned from a trip to France organized by the architecture department of my college. While observing buildings and landscaping as a non-credit student, I couldn’t help but see some things through the lens of an A&P professor. I hope you will enjoy the humor and can perhaps even use some of it in your A&P courses in the coming year.
First, at the Musée du Louvre I was struck by a sign at the entrance to one of the men’s rooms. The green part of the sign was normally posted by itself, indicating the way to an emergency exit. However, this one was unusual in being paired with the men’s room logo. One of the other travelers in our group was an MD, and the two of us joked that the white sign was for men with normal GU tracts, while the green sign was for men with BPH.
At the Château de Chambord, I saw a modern “defibrillateur” mounted on the old stone wall. What a contrast in time periods! Then I noticed the fire extinguisher below the defibrillator. While the extinguisher itself was not remarkable, the sign next to it was. Looking at the formula for French water, I could understand why flames are shown coming from the extinguisher itself. The water in France obviously has a lot more hydrogen in it than our water does!
The controlled electrical output from a defibrillator is one thing, but uncontrolled shock is another. To avoid this situation in the Paris Metro, there were beaucoup warnings not to touch anything electrical. The sign below seen in one Metro station was enough to make me toe the line.
Finally, on a serious note and as an indication of the economy and the day-to-day reality in Paris, the following sign was seen by a hospital near Notre Dame Cathedral. It was in English, obviously to make the point to visitors as well as Parisians.
To be continued …