Medicine Autumn School - Part 4
Day One
10.30 – 12.15
Tropical Medicine
Often looking at the some of the most complex and interesting diseases, tropical medicine
deals with infections and diseases that occur either solely or more prevalently in tropical
and sub-tropical regions. Students will look at why these diseases present geographically
and will look specifically at sleeping sickness, yellow fever and parasitic disease through
clinical case studies.
12.15 – 13.00
Epidemiology
Before advanced medical technology, epidemics were one of the major sources of death
among the human population. Even today, they represent a huge threat to human life
around the world. We will be focusing on case studies of epidemics including SARS,
bubonic plague and influenza along with the mechanisms behind the disease and how
medicine seeks to eradicate or minimise the effects of these.
13.00 – 14.00
Lunch
14.00 – 15.00
Introduction to Immunology
Immunology is the study of the immune system, which protects the body from foreign
substances and infective organisms by producing an immune response. This session will
introduce the students to the various functions of the immune system and the stages
involved in the immune response.
15.00 – 16.00
Hypersensitivity and Transplant Rejection
Sometimes, when introduced to a stimulus, the immune system can become over-sensitive,
which, at a low level can result in a mild allergy, but can become fatal where the patient
develops anaphalaxis. We will be looking at why anaphylaxis occurs, how it can cause
fatalities, and what we can do to prevent this. We will also be considering why the immune
system is responsible for rejecting transplant organs.
16.00 – 16.30
Ethical discussion: Organ donation
The policy on organ transplantation varies dramatically across the world, from a strict
‘opt-out’ stance in countries such as Austria to the British approach of ‘opt-in’. Students
will consider whether Britain should move to an opt-out stance and what the ethical
implications for doing this might be.
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Day Two
10.30 – 11.30
Autoimmune diseases
One of the most confounding areas in Medicine is the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases. It
is believed that many of the conditions we are still unable to explain have a basis in autoimmunity. Autoimmune diseases occur when your body’s immune system attacks itself, and
as a result patients can present in a clinic with many misleading and varied symptoms. In
this session we will be using interactive case studies to take a look at some of these
diseases and will look at their mechanisms and treatment options.
11.30 – 12.30
Anaesthesia
Introducing the class to surgery, this session will briefly explore the method, equipment
and drugs used to anaesthetise patients before surgery. A brief overview will be given on
the dangers of general anaesthetic and the safety procedures carried out by anaesthetists
to minimise such risks.
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
13.30 – 14.30
Wound care and debridement
Debridement is the medical removal of necrotic (dead) tissue which can involve autolytic,
surgical, and even maggot therapy. Using the TIME acronym, students will learn how
surgeons categorize tissue destruction by looking at the characteristics and symptoms of
the wound in order to ascertain a pathophysiology. In determining a pathophysiology
from our detailed case studies, the class will be led through the surgical procedures and
techniques specific to debridement.
14.30 – 15.30
Neurosurgery
Students will be guided through the theory behind surgical procedures, and will then
watch a detailed video which provides an overview of the full surgical procedure of an
awake craniotomy (open-skull surgery). Accompanying this, the class will be guided
through the techniques employed by the surgeons in carrying out this procedure.
15.30 – 16.30
Advanced Suturing Skills
Students will learn the surgical technique of vertical and horizontal mattress suturing and
the Smead-Jones stitch. We will cover the relevant advantages and disadvantages in using
these stitches and will practice these in the session.
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