Operation Mango: A conversation

Recently Anna took part in an episode of the podcast series, titled “Sensing Art, Training the Body” which was released on 21^st March called “Operation Mango”. This podcast series explores the various ways in which we learn and acquire knowledge beyond traditional methods such as language and text books. Through sensory experiences like tasting, smelling, and touching, we gain a new perspective on the world around us.

The podcast interview was moderated by Valentijn Byvanck, the director of Marres, and featured Anna, along with surgeon Bart Schrier and artist Kaisu Koski. The conversation centered around the use of fruit as a tool for surgical practice in the past, and how it can offer unique insights into modern surgical procedures.

As medical students today practice on advanced materials and prostheses, it’s easy to forget the simpler tools that were once used to teach these skills. Fruits like oranges and peaches were commonly used to simulate injection techniques and mimic the texture of human skin. By examining the sensory qualities of fruit, we can expand our vocabulary for describing surgical procedures and potentially discover new approaches to the practice.