THE OTHER SIDE OF APOLLO

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

THE OTHER SIDE

BY WARREN S. RACILES AND GRAZIEL MAE G. RAMAT OF APOLLO

“He came down furious from the summits of Olympus, with his bow and his quiver upon his shoulder, and the arrows rattled on his back with the rage that trembled within him. He sat himself down away from the ships with a face as dark as night, and his silver bow rang death as he shot his arrow in the midst of them. First he smote their mules and their hounds, but presently he aimed his shafts at the people themselves, and all day long the pyres of the dead were burning.” –Iliad by Homer, Book I

Apollo. The Olympian god of the sun, music and poetry, prophecy, order and beauty, agriculture and archery… Apollo, the healer and plague-bringer… The latter, contradicting as it may seem to be, is true as what the old stories tell him to be. The sun god bringing wrath to the mortals who bury fury in his heart… From the ancient world up to the modern now, diseases are widespread and cannot be tamed down. And it seems like the gods haven’t forgotten us mortals, though only a few now pray and pay tribute to their temples in the sacred lands. Apollo, who once brought dark wrath, will always shine the mortals with blessings in the form of his blinding light. What if Apollo opted to interact with us as a non-living object? What if he chose to have electrical wires and rechargeable batteries instead of prayers as a lifeline? What if he now chose to help us to live instead of shooting us with his cursed arrows to death? Can you imagine the mighty god of sun Apollo here on earth, lying in a hospital bed, inanimate and being practiced on by clueless mortals? Let’s just say that nothing is impossible once you see him with your own eyes –not alive, but rather living a manequin’s life.

Through hand-in-hand cooperation and prayers, Apollo was brought to Mariano Marcos State University as a tool for his apprentices in medicine. The Apollo Manikin which is an adult patient stimulator has lots of lessons and undeniable benefits that it can showcase to the public. It has its own unique way of functioning such that it enables students to see reactions to clinical interventions and like living patients responding to any procedures being performed in a realistic manner. A software is used to run Apollo which opens up opportunities to the medical students to perform basic and advanced clinical skills without any risks to patients. Clearly, it defines a whole new way of educating people in this field and how possible that anyone can practice it safely with the use of this manikin. An imitation of a human being stranded into a doll- maybe that’s the way we see as it seems and yes, because Apollo brought us a lot of unique features. It has a realistic skin in the industry. This creates a deeper more immersive and true to life patient counter experience. While in physiological aspect, it can conduct a convulsive and stimulate seizures ranging in different levels of severity. Unlike any other mannequins, Apollo’s eyes are reactive and can blink at various rates and cry if he needs to, which produces tears. The tongue can swell to indicate external or internal symptoms and can be manually or mechanically ventilated. It also allows students to listen to breathing sounds with realistic chest movements with each breath that can be a clue whether the patient is breathing normally or abnormally. Although he may not have any heart, Apollo has impulses that can be taken in his realistic pulse points where it was located in the same areas we’d find on a human patient such as in the neck; arms; thigh; wrist; behind the knee. The amusing part of this manequin is that the blood pressure can be taken from his left arm and the oximetry sensor that can be attached on its left hand. An ECG for cardiac identification can also be conducted together with synchronized cardioversion. It allows us also to inject IV on his right arm. What’s fascinating now is that Apollo’s natural software system management can be conducted or installed and used into our tablets, Mac, or a PC that are free for controllers of the manikin most especially in its physiological part.

The Apollo Manikin, lying in the COllege of Medicine, gives an edge to the honing and in the improving of quality education to our students. Also, College of Medicine offers a hand to other students of MMSU to experience the astonishing Apollo’s vast prowess in their certain events, activities or occasions making students amazed and mesmerized most especially to the students who are aiming and dreaming to pursue medicine as for their motivation. Apollo… the sun god… the healer… the plague-bringer… now gives a way for his apprentices to advance in the medical world and progress through providing the best health for every individual.

PAG-USAD SA BAGONG LABAN

JAYSON SABONG

“Tagu-taguan, maliwanag ang buwan. Pakihusayang magpanggap nang ‘di ka maiwan.” Kasalukuyan kong pinapanood kung paano maglaro ang lahat para lamang makausad sa susunod na labanan. Ang iba'y bumubuhos na ang dugo dulot ng mga nagpuputukang ugat sa ulong ‘di na kinaya ang matinding bakbakan. Ang ilan ay nababawasan na ang parte ng katawan at dahan-dahan nang nanghihina, masasabi kong lubos na nagdurusa itong bansa. Ilan mula sa sampung manlalaro ang makapapasa nang kumpleto pa? Pagsapit ng Lunes‚ simula na naman ng bakbakan. Naririnig ko kung paano kumakalabog ang mga paa ng mga magulang na nagmamadaling kumuha ng mga bagong kalaban. Sa tuwing iaabot ito sa kanilang mga anak, matatanaw mo kung paano magsalubong ang mga kilay, at pagkurba pababa ng labi. Patagal nang patagal, ay pahina sila nang pahina, hindi kagaya noong nasa eskwelahan, na kailanga’y aktibo’t agresibo, kung hindi’y makakatikim ka ng matinding pangaral mula sa guro. Pilit na lamang iginagalaw ang kanilang mga kamay, upang maisulat ang sagot, na ‘di mawari kung sagot pa ba talaga, o para na lamang may laman ang papel na ipapasa. Maaaring nakikita mo silang nakaupo habang kaharap ang papel at lapis, ngunit natitiyak kong ni isang salita’y wala iyang natatandaan. May matandaan ma’y, ‘di mo mawari kung naintindihan ba talaga nila. Nakakalungkot isipin, na dalawang taon na silang pinapakain ng mga panuto at leksyon, subalit nananatili pa rin silang gutom. Nakakaawa, tila niloloko na lamang sila ng panahon‚ nakakukuha sila ng mataas na grado, subalit sila mismo sa sarili nila'y alam nilang sila ang naagrabiyado. Kung muling magbubukas ang pinto para sa pagkatuto, nawa'y unang bigyang pansin ang mga letrang naiwan sa kanilang mga ulo. Nawa’y kahit isang pangungusap, ay mayroon man lang silang naitago sa loob ng dalawang taon. Dahil natitiyak kong mas bababa lamang ang kalidad ng edukasyon kung patuloy natin silang uutusang magtanim ng mga butong bulok sa maghapon. Sa muling pagsilip ng bukang-liwayway, nais kong makita ang mga batang nagtatampisaw sa tubig ng kaalaman. Makikita ko silang nalulunod, subalit ikatutuwa ko ito, lalo pa’t malalaman kong batis iyon ng kamulatan. Hindi tayo nag-aaral para lamang sa diploma, ngunit nag-aaral tayo para matuto bago tayo bumalik sa lugar na kinaroroonan. Hihimlay tayong walang sinayang, dahil hindi tayo namatay na mangmang. Huwag sanang hayaang lumantak ang mga bata ng blangkong papel. At mas lalong huwag naman sanang humakbang pataas sa hagdan para lamang maabot ang tuktok, kahit walang alam. Nawa’y ang sampung tatanggap ng diploma'y tunay na napunan ang mga patlang na hinihingan ng kasagutan. Kaalaman sa bagong pahinang bubuklatin ng kabataan.