Long time ago, on 20. November 1815, one talented surgeon, Bernhard Nathanael Gottlob Schreger, opened a small Clinicum Chirurgicum at the Wasserturmstr. 14 for just eight patients. It was the great-great-great-great-grandparent of our modern Uniklinikum and, of course, it is no longer that small. Nowadays the Uniklinikum complex includes 42 departments (among which are 24 hospitals) and seven institutes that work in all fields of modern medicine. It is the home both for doctors and students who want to learn, to exchange their experience and to conduct new research. University hospital buildings are mainly situated in the city centre, near the garden of the margrave’s palace, and provide more than 1.300 beds. More than 7.400 employees create a special atmosphere of safety and health there. So since February 2016 our Uniklinikum is proud to celebrate its 200th anniversary. What does it mean? – Dozens of open lectures and tours, open doors day, entertaining activities for children and adults and many souvenirs.
Open Doors Day
It is perhaps one of the most interesting events for a few reasons. First, you get access to most departments and equipment in a hospital and can freely observe them, ask questions or even try out some. Second, you have a chance to get free souvenirs or snacks J This time Uniklinikum opened its doors on 13. March for 5 hours (from 11.00 till 17.00) under the motto “Highlights of university’s medicine”. What could one see there? – What not? On the one hand, experts from almost all possible fields were showing, explaining and answering any question about any disease or problem. There were wonderful booths about eyesight, skin, heart and other organs as well as surgery issues, gynecology, psychiatry, virology and many others. At the booth about healthy nutrition you could try lactose free products like yoghurt or cupcakes (which actually taste as good as regular ones). At the booth about heart surgery you could see historical exhibits of heart valves (it must have been really difficult to perform such operations without modern technologies). Children had a chance to learn and experience how to put the arm in plaster, adults could practice giving first aid.
A lot of people came to the open doors day. Foto: Olha Kuzmyn
Everyone could participate in a quiz about food and win a tasty piece of cake or an apple and learn something new, like the fact that instead of carotene producers of Fanta or other citrus soft drinks may use fish gelatin. There was also a special exhibit of modern and old ambulances where you could go inside, try out a wheeled stretcher or again ask any question. For professionals, doctors and students there were special lectures about the newest research, tendencies and breakthroughs. Nevertheless, the most interesting part was the first Medical Science Slam. Eight wonderful speakers (not to be confused with the latest Tarantino movie) presented their research in an easy and entertaining way. They talked about the connection between healthy cells and cancer cells; how radiation can kill cancer if being implemented from the inside; why all doctors in the hospital have Hanna Hübner’s phone number (she works with placenta cells and must collect them within 30 minutes after birth); why it is important to trust your doctor and take the prescribed medicine; how our immune system distinguishes foreign cells; and other topics. The winner of the slam was Dr. Axel Hueber who works at Medizinische Klinik 3 and who explained why we must trust our doctors.
What to expect?
Foto: Olha Kuzmyn
Though a lot of events have already passed you still have a chance to attend something interesting like:
- 13. April – “From steam heating to the heat station” – a lecture on the technical equipment of the Uniklinikum.
- 20. April – tour to the historical exhibition of waxworks of diseases. It shows how different illnesses can modify our body and skin.
- 24. April – City tour where you will find out more about the history of medicine in Erlangen and the development of hospitals all around the region.
And don’t forget to register for the desired tour as the number of participants is often limited.
Finally, you always have a chance to buy a memorable souvenir at the hospital’s gift shop (my favorite is the anti-stress heart), for example an informative book with more than 600 pages about the history of the hospital or just to learn more about the upcoming events on the official website.
Happy Birthday, dear Uniklinikum!