Dissections
While we were introduced to a well-dissected cadaver in the anatomy lab a week ago, today was the first day that we donned our own lab coats/scrubs and gloves, went to the labs, encountered our pre-assigned cadavers, and began our own dissections. There are about 25 cadavers spread between three rooms, and we eight medical illustration students get two of them. Apparently we also get a little special treatment from the higher-ups, which is nice.
Professionalism and common decency do not permit me to ramble on about my every thought during the lab today, but the long and the short of it is: it was fine. Of course the smell is disconcerting, and the sight was quite a unique experience. And it was actually quite difficult to discern structures beneath the skin due to the stiffness. But I don't believe I'll have too much of a problem with it. Then again, they're all face down to begin with, to help start us on easier structures and to ease us into the process, but all in all, between the four of us (per body), all the other medical students, and the handful of instructors cruising around, I think we'll be fine.
I DO wish I could completely get rid of the smell from my hands. It's not the preservative smell so much as the smell of the gloves, but you know how associative smells are. I smell the gloves and I relate it to the smell of the bodies. Luckily my kitchen hand soap seems to take care of 99.5% of it.
I felt I should record the day. The first day I handled a human cadaver. Soon I will have seen more dead naked people than live ones. I wish there was a hope of finding myself some robust, living, thriving man flesh to keep my mind from comparing the sight of my own skin to that of my 90yo cadaver. Would love a warm, breathing distraction. I scoped the med students. Pickin's are slim. Looks like the "man in my life" saga is to be postponed until I graduate and find a new setup. Again. Sigh. It sure is a good thing I've had all this practice at NOT having a boyfriend.
Until the next momentous thing happens in my life...
Professionalism and common decency do not permit me to ramble on about my every thought during the lab today, but the long and the short of it is: it was fine. Of course the smell is disconcerting, and the sight was quite a unique experience. And it was actually quite difficult to discern structures beneath the skin due to the stiffness. But I don't believe I'll have too much of a problem with it. Then again, they're all face down to begin with, to help start us on easier structures and to ease us into the process, but all in all, between the four of us (per body), all the other medical students, and the handful of instructors cruising around, I think we'll be fine.
I DO wish I could completely get rid of the smell from my hands. It's not the preservative smell so much as the smell of the gloves, but you know how associative smells are. I smell the gloves and I relate it to the smell of the bodies. Luckily my kitchen hand soap seems to take care of 99.5% of it.
I felt I should record the day. The first day I handled a human cadaver. Soon I will have seen more dead naked people than live ones. I wish there was a hope of finding myself some robust, living, thriving man flesh to keep my mind from comparing the sight of my own skin to that of my 90yo cadaver. Would love a warm, breathing distraction. I scoped the med students. Pickin's are slim. Looks like the "man in my life" saga is to be postponed until I graduate and find a new setup. Again. Sigh. It sure is a good thing I've had all this practice at NOT having a boyfriend.
Until the next momentous thing happens in my life...