Reflection on Working with the Cadaver!

**Technically this is not my next post! Rather, it is an essay I wrote FOR my class so I apologize for the academic style. I was responding to the prompt below,

"We would like you to reflect on your first encounter with the cadaver. . Whether it made you sad, excited, or frightened, be genuine in your responses as there is no wrong answer."

feel free to read!

and an update from the lab is coming next :)

Although it is tempting to claim that encountering the cadaver made me contemplate my mortality or scared me in some way I cannot—unfortunately the encounter was so built up and anticipated that when it actually happened it was almost mundane. Honestly I was expecting a flood of emotions: questioning the strangeness of studying the muscles and sinews of a form that not too long ago had a life, a story, a family, and a name. But no, I was as cool as a cat (assuming cats are cool) and didn’t even mind touching the cadaver to make sure I had noted the right muscle group. The cadaver seemed more like a plastic model than anything else, and the experience was unlike what I had expected, almost underwhelming. And by underwhelming I do not mean to suggest that it was not intellectually stimulating, since seeing all the muscles in their natural form (not color coded and text book perfect) was quite an experience. But it was not disturbing as I expected it to be.

After thinking about it, I understand a little better why emotionally I was fine with studying the cadaver. In high school I volunteered at the Science Center in LA and worked in the Body Worlds exhibit where real cadavers are preserved by plastination and on display in various poses or in certain slices to help demonstrate some muscle group or body system. By being in the exhibit so frequently I grew comfortable with seeing entire cadavers—face, hands feet—nothing covered up, and the entire thing stained in colors representative of living tissue (reds etc). Because of this I knew I would be more prepared to see the cadaver, but I was not sure how hands on the anatomy 131 lab would be. However other than the slight touch of a muscle and the strong smell of the preserving solution, the lab was mostly visual, similar to the exhibit. And the cadavers were so prepared—everything cut and pulled back and extra stuff removed. Honestly, I was more disturbed by the rat dissection in Biology 1A lab where we actively cut open through the rat skin and sought out different organs (while the rat was still a little warm). Comparatively the experience with the cadaver was stale, distant and mostly visual.

As stated, emotionally I was unaffected, but intellectually the cadaver was a wonderful way to study. I was surprised by the layering and compact nature of many of the muscles. I also found it intriguing how area of the body that seems simple on the surface can be so complex underneath. Especially interesting was how flat and undefined many of the muscles were. In light of my observations of the human body in action; whether in athletic events, dance competitions, or in figure drawing classes, I was expecting much more definition for the individual muscles. I even got out my sketchbook and tried to draw directly from the cadaver but it was unfortunately rather boring. The drawing came out very flat and uninteresting. The over exaggerated muscles portrayed in the anatomy coloring book are much more fun to draw (since they are over defined). I’m not sure why there is such a strong discrepancy between muscles of living bodies and those on cadavers other than the obvious: cadavers are carefully preserved and lack the activation, water, and whatever else that makes animated muscles so visible, also I am used to seeing younger bodies while cadavers can be of any age group I'm guessing.

While my reactions were not what I expected I realize that they were my reactions just for the first lab. With time and with subsequent labs I’m sure that my perspective will shift as we explore different areas of the body. Also as I get more comfortable with the set up it will hopefully be more interactive and less observational. The human body is such an incredible thing that to finally study the real thing after so many years of learning through books and pictures it is hard to know how to feel. At the very least I am still excited for what the next lab will bring.