Chateau de Chenonceau is one of the many chateaus located in the Loire Valley. The chateau spans the River Cher near a village called Chenonceau. In 1514-1522, the chateau initially was built upon the foundations of an old mill and later stretched the River Cher. The Chateau belonged to many French families, beginning with the Marques family to the royal family and their mistresses. With each new inhabitant, more adjuncts, gardens, and bridges were added until it became the chateau that stands today. One notable owner was Diane de Poitiers, who built a bridge to attach the chateau to the opposite side of the river and designed the flower, vegetable, and fruit gardens. Another major contributor to Chateau de Chenonceau is Catherine de’ Medici who added more gardens to decorate the perimeter of the chateau as well as rooms within the chateau’s walls. Catherine had many grand parties there, including one with the first firework show ever. The chateau was reflective of not only the wealth that France’s elites possessed, but also the architectural magnificence and intellect that humans were capable of. We are able to think up and create these structures that outlive us in longevity and tower over us in size because of our brain’s ability of creativity.
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We visited the Musee Arts et Metiers. This museum was an industrial design museum, which was why I was confused as to why we visited this museum as a class as I didn’t think it related to NBB. However, after thinking about the technological advances that have happened, I came to the realization that this visit really did relate to neuroscience and behavioral biology. With the invention of the telegraph, people no longer had to travel far distances to just hear a loved one’s voice. Business flourished because there was less of a necessity to meet in person. In addition, innovations in travel such as the development of the high speed rail allowed for people to meet people in person. The invention of cell and smart phones have changed people’s behaviors drastically, as some people, including me, can stay at home all day and still feel connected.
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We visited the Musee d’Histoire de la Medicine. This museum was really interesting and provided a pretty comprehensive overview of how medicine originated and the tools that were used to help people. What was really surprising was that many of these tools resemble the tools that many surgeons use today. This visit relates to the NBB course because tools used for medicine and neuroscience were housed in this museum. In addition, one of the first polygraphs is in this museum. This machine measures external behaviors such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity to indicate the inner thoughts of a person. This is very cool because it relates directly to Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology.
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We visited Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise. This is one of the most famous cemeteries in all of France, which house the tombs of famous painters like Jacques Louis David to neuroscientists such as Proust. We visited Rothschild’s tomb, who was a prominent banker. Today, the Rothschild family is rumored to be the richest family in the world, with enough financial resources to influence elections to the stock market. So how do the Rothschilds relate to NBB? They have their own Neurology and Neurosurgery department, and have made significant contributions in the neuroscience field. They may be the richest family int he world, but who said rich people are all selfish and limit their contributions to the sciences?
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We visited the Musee Fragonard at the Ecole Veterinaire d’Alfort in the first week of the program. The museum had a variety of anatomical oddities that were preserved as well as skeletons of different organisms throughout different periods of time. This visit is significant for recognizing the differences we have with our ancestors as well as the potential for mutations and defects that results in something extraordinary, such as mermaids and cyclops. This is important to our NBB class because the differences in skull sizes allows for us to see how our cognitive prowess originated as well as provide inferences for our behavior.
Neurosyphilis and its precursors
This week I had the amazing opportunity of visiting the Musee de Moulage! The museum houses a collection of different dermatological illnesses and diseases. As I walked across the museum, I was amazed by the intricate casts that delineated the different conditions doctors had come across during their career. While many of the casts were grotesque, I realized that they served an important role—educating future generations of dermatologists. The elaborate 3D sculptures of faces, limbs, bodies, and genitalia gave future doctors an ability to recognize rare, dangerous infections that patients might present with. While I was unfamiliar with most of the dermatological diseases presented in the museum one caught my eye: Syphilis.
The Eiffel and the Brain
Figure 1. Eiffel Tower from the first day hereIn the first four days I have been in Paris, I had seen the Eiffel Tower four times. Even as a person from the state of Texas who was born in Canada and spent much of his early life in China studying in Georgia (I guess I am a globetrotter) and has no idea of how a Parisian lives, I could see how Parisians got tired of the Eiffel Tower real quick. After these first four days, whenever a friend exclaimed that the Eiffel Tower was in sight, I found myself muttering “so what”. I was tired of the Eiffel, and could not see any reason why tourists found it so beautiful and a “must-see” attraction. Continue reading “The Eiffel and the Brain”
Love and Neuroscience
Last Friday, our NBB class visited the Loire Valley to both explore the landscape just 2 hours outside of Paris and to see some extravagant chateaus. In fact, on the ride over to the Loire Valley, Dr. Easterling was telling the class about the history of French kings and how the kings moved from place to place, reshaping the stories of the chateaus in which they resided.
I was determined to explore the gardens and rooms of the chateaus and relate them back to the history. During the visit to Loire Valley, I was specifically drawn to the Chateau du Chenonceau.
Ambois(e)ing Experience
Howdy! Great to see you again, and today I am going to share with you none other than Amboise in the beautiful Loire Valley. We went on a class trip here last Friday, June 15th. The small town of Amboise may not have been at its most beautiful, as it was drizzling lightly with dark skies, but not much could compare with the amazing chateau that past kings have tried to get their hands on for years. We received a tour of the remains of the chateau, which is only a fraction of its size back in the day. I had wondered why the tour guide pretty much gave us an entire history of the chateau (nothing wrong with it, I was just wondering why), and it was because the chateau was literally so small had she only given us the backstory to every room we would have been done in less than 15 minutes. A very interesting fact about Amboise is that Leonardo da Vinci lived here in the latter stages of his life. King Francis I and da Vinci were great friends and Francis offered the Clos Lucé manor to da Vinci, who accepted and lived his last three years here. The manor was in close proximity to the Chateau Amboise, and Leonardo da Vinci continued with his work until he died of a stroke in 1519. The painting below depicts Leonardo being held by Francis I, but there is speculation that this was false and ordered by Francis I to be painted as propaganda to increase his popularity. He is currently buried in Amboise. Continue reading “Ambois(e)ing Experience”
Height as a Predictor of Cognitive Performance?
On Wednesday, June 13th, we visited the Musée de L’homme Exposition Néandertal. At the museum, I stumbled upon an art display of people that varied greatly by height and took a photo with them. Additionally, my roommates and I took a photo right outside the museum which had a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower. From this photo, you can see that we are all different heights.
Continue reading “Height as a Predictor of Cognitive Performance?”