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Death and Stan the “Man,” or, the Gross Clinic in 2009?


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My doctor back in New York was a D.O. rather than M.D. Doug Koch is a biologist at PCOM. That’s PCOM.edu. I thought it should be PCOM.com. It’s the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Doug says they’re stuck with PCOM. edu

Whate’er.

Gross Clinic-type anatomy lesson, 2009, using Stan the "Man"
Gross Clinic-type anatomy lesson, 2009, using Stan the “Man”


Doug he showed me around the College. I liked Stan best.  Currently the most famous painting in Philadelphia is Eakins’ Gross Clinic. That’s a painting of an anatomy lesson. Doug said the college was on spring break so they weren’t dissecting anybody. He showed me a half dozen brains, then he introduced me to Stan.

Stan the "Man," a Human
Stan the “Man,” a Human Patient Simulator

Stan’s a robot who is yet capable of every illness. He lies on a table wearing pajamas with a sheet up to his chin. Stan possesses, however, an extensive wardrobe. He breathes. His eyes respond to light.  He bruises. He responds to every drug.  Stan, basically, is standard. Brian, who is Stan’s boss, sits behind a one-way mirror monitoring the medical students and speaking as Stan. Doug showed me how to inject certain drugs into Stan. This was great!

Thomas Eakins, The Gross Clinic
Thomas Eakins, The Gross Clinic

How are you feeling now, Stan?

“Unfortunately, Doctor Andre, I fear you gave me too much of the wrong drug and I am afraid that soon, yes — wait — I feel terrible pain — I’m certain that soon —  yes, even now, I am, finally and agonizingly, dead.”

Medical error.

We didn’t have time to see Noelle the Gal.  Apparently she can get pregnant and give birth. I wonder how she resembles a certain lady robot advertised on-line?

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