The Body in Rhyme
I wrote this when doing a course on Anatomy and Physiology, training as a Massage therapist.
I decided rhyming would be a helpful way to remember information…my teacher thought I was mad!
However the seeds were planted in my very early teens by my wonderfully inspirational History Teacher at Dartington, Ted Fitch, who had me
illustrating his “rhyme or bust” methods of teaching which helped as humorous aides memoir in exams and I went on to do well in A level
History a result!
Writing The Body in Rhyme was great fun and was illustrated by my partner Gino D’Achille and I passed the anatomy exam!
Having qualified I worked for a few years as a part time Massage Therapist, at the Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability in Putney London,
and was responsible for introducing massage to the hospital, where it continues to help bring relief to people living there.
Excerpt from ‘Body in Rhyme’ poem
I’m starting off with an introduction
To this book The Body in Rhyme
From Skeleton through to Reproduction
With strange sounding names like Ptyalin and Chyme.
And scattered about to help in the Task
Of learning, are drawings you’ll find
Refer to them and it should unmask
Confusion you may have in mind.
Students and nurses, even teachers too
May find it to be of some use
Or people on courses for whom it’s all new
Enlightenment may deduce.
Exhausted doctors in need of a break
Might enjoy some light relief
Checking it out for old times sake
As they sip an aperitif.
Excerpt from ‘The Digestive Systems’ poem
Mim Hain
When you sit down to eat, and open your mouth
And pop in some veggies or meat
You might be amazed at what a feat
Is about to take place going south.
The Digestive system consists of a tract
A long tube from mouth to anus
And what happens inside is quite an act
Though nothing terribly heinous!
There are many organs involved in the task
Of digesting and absorbing your food
And this is something I’ll try to unmask
So I hope you are in the mood.
We start in the mouth with tongue and teeth
Which begin to work as you munch
Then salivary glands above and beneath
Excrete enzymes to zap your lunch.
Enzymes are proteins which breakdown food
The salivary ones are called Ptyalin
These will carbohydrates denude
Thus starting the process within.
The food is rolled to a ball in the mouth
Called a Bolus, and then it is swallowed,
Starting off on that long journey south,
This far I trust you have followed? |
