Sunday, April 15, 2007

Cadaver Lab

For hygiene school I am taking Head & Neck anatomy. Unfortunately we are being taught everything in 1 semester, with not much of a budget. Therefore, we speed through the information and our only visuals are pictures. For anyone who has studied anatomy you know that this is really not adequate! So, my professor took us on a field trip to an actual cadaver lab at Orange Coast College. It was amazing. I realize not everyone is fascinated by cadavers, so I will spare the gory details. I, on the other hand, felt like a kid a candy store! In fact, it was a privelage that she allowed us to put on gloves and to touch the cadaver. What a learning experience! The human body is a remarkable thing and you can't appreciate it fully unless you see it for yourself!

In addition to the cadaver we also got to see
specimens that were "plastinated" (the process which the Body Worlds exhibit was done). Basically they are actual specimens but they have been turned into plastic. It is a pretty amazing thing. They are preserved and it is another great way to learn.

Basically the trip was to learn more about th
e head and neck. So we also focused on skulls and models with blood vessels and nerves. It is pretty complicated, but we need to know it all for our work. Next semester we begin giving anesthetic so it is very important that we know the anatomy inside and out!

Future Registered Dental Hygienists!


Katie looking at "specimens"


Our instructor of the day, with a few different skulls and models.

1 comment:

Daytrippingmom Media said...

I think this is so interesting Katie. I find stuff like this just fascinating and I think people that donate their bodies to science are amazing because without them we wouldn't be able to have trained medical professionals. Thanks for sharing your adventure.