Learning does not just take place in the classroom at Brunswick and the boys’ teachers are not the only source of information. Larry Urbon teaches all 7th grade science classes and arranged through the Fett family to bring a Brunswick parent, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Edward Jones to speak with the boys about medicine as a career in general, orthopedic surgery specifically and joint replacement surgery in great detail.
Dr. Jones started his talk telling the boys that he feels lucky to wake up every morning and look forward to the day ahead. He counseled the boys on choosing a vocation which will “turn them on”. Medicine, although a science has a huge humanitarian aspect; it is also an art form. Dr. Jones drew the analogy between medicine and Brunswick’s motto “courage, honor, truth”. A doctor must be knowledgeable (truthful), decisive in helping patients make life decisions (courageous), and uphold ethical responsibility (honorable.)
After reviewing the long path to practicing medicine, emphasizing the importance of a well rounded college education first, Dr. Jones focused on the specialty of orthopedics and its many subspecialties. Through a power point presentation showing degenerative joint disease, a skeleton with replaced joints and examples of replacement parts, the boys learned about knee and hip replacements. They learned that an x-ray showing no space in the joint means that the cartilage cushion has worn away and the patient is down to bone-on-bone. This is the reason for pain and stiffness in arthritic joints. They also learned that bones around arthritic joint surfaces are thicker and harder, due to increased pressure from the loss of the cartilage cushion, looking whiter on the x-ray.
How impressive for seventh grade boys to have the opportunity to speak with a surgeon, researcher and educator who is premier in his field. Many thanks to Dr. Edward Jones, Larry Urbon, Holden Fett and family for arranging this.