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| Mill Hill Buttons & Beads Autumn Series MH14-1623 "Haunted Laboratory" Image shown is 6×6 inches. |
This first one was completed by her. My mother was a microbiologist. She worked in a laboratory at the local hospital. For those of you who don't know, here's how stuff works.
When your doctor takes a sample such as a throat culture or spinal fluid, it is sent to a laboratory. The laboratory technicians run the tests and then tell the doctors what they found. For infectious bacteria, the laboratory can run a test across a panel of wells with different antibiotics at different strengths. The results reveal where the organism is resistant (Ack! That drug won't kill it,) or sensitive (Hurray! This drug at this strength will help the patient get well.) The super-bugs that are antibiotic resistant are resistant across the entire panel — i.e. they grow in every well at every strength. Truly scary!
My mother could work old school, too. Sometimes bacteria are grown on agar
plates. The microbiologist looks at it underneath a microscope and identifies
the organism based on what type of agar plate (the type of food this organism
wants), atmospheric conditions it grows in (aerobic or anaerobic), speed it
grows at, and what it looks like. There are stains to make otherwise clear
transparent bacteria show up nicely on a slide under a microscope; and
different types of bacteria take the stain differently. (This is similar to
how dyes work differently on protein versus cellulose fibers, or how dye
colors are different based on which mordants are used.) As an art history
major, I look at a painting and can make a guess about where and when it was
painted, maybe even guess who painted it. My mother could look at
microorganisms that make people sick, identify what they are, and from that
tell a doctor which treatments are most likely to resolve the infection. For
spinal fluid from an infant, this information provided in a timely manner
could change the trajectory from parents who never fully got over the loss of
a baby to a scary parental experience almost forgotten by graduation.
I understand why the Halloween haunted laboratory appealed to my mother. Of
course it did! As a bonus, the words "Laboratory" and the ghost even glow
under ultraviolet light! Sweet!
The one I finished is this one.
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| Mill Hill Buttoned & Beaded Kit Autumn Series III MHCB68 "Spooky Window" Image shown is 6×6 inches. |
My mother completed three of the four quadrants, leaving only the lower left incomplete. On that one, she had worked the orange and yellow string and the leaves on the mullion. I needed to complete the beaded pumpkin, its leaves and vines, the two pumpkin buttons, and most of the window frame.
My sister is not a fan of Halloween decorations. I think I'll keep both of these, even if I need to wait ten months to display them.
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