Nothing excites a medicine geek like a good exhibit

There is an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry focusing on women's health. Many moons ago, most medical research such as clinical trials were solely conducted on male participants. As time passed, researchers & physicians realized that there might be differences (besides genitalia) between women & men in terms of pathophysiology (disease). Maybe you have heard news stories about the difference in symptoms experienced between the sexes when it comes to myocardial infarctions (heart attacks). Women won't necessarily feel the chest pain that runs down the left arm or up to the jaw. For example, a woman we took care of in the ICU only experienced symptoms similar to GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) or "heartburn".

This exhibit focuses on some pertinent issues of women's health. It also takes a look at how women have historically tried to reshape their bodies (sometimes with contraptions like the corset) to conform to the "ideal womanly figure" of the time.

***Free on Mondays and Tuesdays from September 13 through November 30