Mr. & Mr. Cadavers
So, today was finally the day we got to study the cadavers!
I was soo nervous while walking to class. I had those horrible images you see on TV, in my head. I kept telling myself "I hope he didn't bring them in yet!" Unfortunately, he did. I walked into class and in the front of the room there was a long tin-like coffin, kind of like those foodwarming things. There was one in the back also. I wanted to back out of there but there were some people there and I didn't want to look like a chicken so I just walked next to the tin-coffin to my seat. I sat there nervously for the class to start.
Once class started, my professor explained to us that the bodies were of elderly men who donated their bodies to advance medical research. We weren't allowed to make jokes of them, play music, take pictures, or look at their faces, respect them because they were someone's son, husband, and father. We rented them (pretty expensive) from UC San Diego, or was it University of San Diego? Anyway..
He proceeded to lead us over to one of the bodies, this one was faced down. He opened the tin-coffin and inside was a blue tarp-like bag around it. He unzipped the bag to reveal the body.
I was very surprised at the smell. I had initially thought it was going to be disgustingly awful but it actually smells like permanent marker. It did not have that dead body odor, due to the preservative chemicals that was put in the body. I was familiar with the scent from disecting a sheep's heart in high school.
The body did not have that blue-ish grey color I thought it would. It had a light tan coloring to it. It looked like a mummy because it was starting to dry out. It was already disected early on so everything was a bit easy to move around. The skin of the body looked like leather. It was also flayed open so you could get to the muscles. The mucles and tendons in the arms and legs had a grey-ish tint to them, but overall it looks like chicken or something. The muscles on the chest and abdominal area was reddish and looked like beef jerky.
After awhile I became a bit nauseated due to the overpowering smell. >.<
Overall, it was pretty interesting to be studying the real thing rather than the pictures in the book. I love the hands on experience we have. I've learned a bit about how our muscles work, but I'm still studying.
I think, if i ever saw their faces it would be too much for me. I wouldn't be able to handle it and go psychotic. With more experience I'm sure I'll be okay, since this is my first time.
The bodies have been with us for about a year now. By January, they will be returned and be dealt with according to their families' wishes. We will then get newly deceased bodies to study with again.
I respect very much the people that donate their body for medical research. When I think about it and if it were me, I don't know if I would be able to do it. Hopefully I will.
I'll only have another week to study before the muscle test! Argh, wish me luck.
Cok0nuts
Lumpkin @ 2007-11-29 17:20:29
OMG! That sounds so gnarly. I think I might have just puked a little. When you described it as chicken and beef jerky my stomach turned. You say it smells like permanent markers, I hope in the future we won't see kids huffing dead bodies. haha >.>
Anyways, very exciting and interesting! I wish you the best of luck on your test even though I doubt you'll need it. Dr. McSmartyPants? hehehe
Lumpkin
P.S. You can do whatever you want to me when I'm dead. =X *snickers*
P.P.S. I don't plan on dying anytime soon so maybe you can get started early. I don't mind. =P
Cok0nuts @ 2007-11-29 18:34:19
PERV!
cpnichol @ 2007-11-29 19:54:40
That's quite an impressive bit of flirting there Lumpkin, going from a blog about dissecting corpses to pervy proposition so quickly.
I applied to do a degree in Neuroscience, which would have involved dissecting corpses, mostly the brain. But I forgot to study, d'oh!.
Lumpkin @ 2007-11-29 20:56:46
I blame Cok0nuts.
>.>
<.<
teh-pwnzer @ 2007-12-01 00:28:53
Easy there Lumps! lol
Poor Cokes! ;)
This whole experience must have been pretty incredible! I don't think that I would ever be able to do it. Good luck with your studies!
IRONMAN @ 2007-12-01 23:31:40
Good luck CokOnuts. you guys...lol
