Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

[Mrs Lovett]

I just had my first cadaver study for school this weekend (with a focus on muscles, we've got another one on viscera coming up in August), and I thought I'd post some thoughts for others who will be going through the same experience.

1. Visit ahead, if you can. We had two groups in our cadaver study. Half were from my class (evening class) and half were from the daytime class. Our class had been down to the gross anatomy lab to look at the cadaver for about half an hour, very early in our studies. We didn't know much about anatomy yet at the time, but we were encouraged to look at and feel the different kinds of tissues. The day class had pieces of fascia brought up to the massage room to see and work with. Three members of the day class had to leave the study, due to feeling ill and emotional. Everyone from our class was emotionally prepared. So do ask permission just to get a peek before you have to be in a room with your cadaver for several hours!

2. Recognize that the person in front of you (and it was a person, with a name you should learn) offered their body as a gift to you, so that you could learn from it. If you choose not to take advaneforum.xxxe of this fact and learn all that you can, this gift was essentially wasted. Respect this offering, and learn everything you can.

3. Don't be afraid to get your (gloved, of course!) hands on the cadaver. Poke, push, pull, prod, separate. You will never get this close up to the inner workings of a live person, unless you end up as a surgeon. The iliotibial band? Yank on it. It's indestructible! Trapezius is like a crepe, I had no real understanding of how thin it is before I held it between my fingers.

4. The face of the person will be covered. Everything else is up for study. Be prepared if you are squeamish about genitals. Personally, I found the hands and feet to be strangely haunting. They looked so normal and human. One toenail had obviously been squashed in an accident of some sort and never healed. There was a callus on his palm just below where a wedding ring would have rested. I held his feet in my hands for a few seconds, and worked through my feelings. Then I got back to work.

5. It's okay to have feelings. "This looks like pot roast; I can never eat meat again," is a totally valid reaction. "This looks like pot roast, and it scares me that I could see myself cooking this with carrots and red potatoes with no problem whatsoever," is also valid. You're not going to be totally clinical, so don't try to be. Just don't let it overwhelm you.

6. It takes hours and hours of work to properly dissect a cadaver, so most of that work will be done before you arrive. Still, your instructor will probably do some cutting, scraping, cleaning, and separating in front of you. Some people in the group found this very disturbing to watch. It's okay to look away.

7. Be comfortable. Wear clothes and shoes you can stand around in all day, with sleeves that roll up. We had lab coats available to borrow. If your anatomy lab doesn't have them, consider bringing an old shirt to wear over your ordinary clothes.

8. Formaldehyde doesn't smell pleasant. It's not awful, but it did give me mild headaches and made a couple of others feel queasy. If you are pregnant or hoping to become so, you should stand back from the tank or table about three feet and not lean over it at all, as there are some indications it can be harmful to a fetus. Some folks brought scented oils to rub below their noses and mask the smell. The rest of us just got used to it.

9. There's a red dye in the embalming fluid that makes the muscles look reddish and more lifelike. This is actually pretty cool, because it's obvious which tissues have a greater blood supply. Don't let this fool you into thinking there's still blood in there, though.

10. If you can't see something that you think you ought to be seeing, just ask! It might just be covered in some adipose tissue, and a little cleaning up would give you the view needed to help your understanding.

All in all, the chance to learn from a cadaver is invaluable. My understanding of anatomy was really taken to the next level. Even the best illustrations don't do the human body justice. I'm tremendously grateful for the experience, and feel totally ready and excited to do it again in a month.

In service,

Kat

 

[Shyblue]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Great post, Kat! Thank you for sharing that!

I LOVED the cadaver lab part of my training, and return whenever the opportunity arises. Reading your post brought back some of my own memories of the first few times. It was intense, and some people had a little difficulty with parts of it. I was eager to get in there, but the hands really brought me up short at first... it reminded me that this had been a person deserving of respect and gratitude. Cadavers are always humbling in their silent way.

I have never known of a cadaver lab where the students learned the person's name. Where I was trained, that is strictly forbidden for privacy reasons.

Traveling exhibits like "Bodyworlds" and "Bodies...The Exhibition" are incredible learning experiences, and they smell a whole lot better than cadaver labs do. BUT... nothing tops getting hands on with an actual cadaver.

 

[eelfins]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

On a personal level, thank you for posting this. Our best friend died in April and he donated his body to science. It's comforting to think that he may have ended up in hands as sensitive and respectful as yours.

 

[Callie :)]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

@ Jason: The donor's full name was on his ankle eforum.xxx, and we were told it before ever entering the lab. I wonder if the rules about such things differ by state?

In service,

Kat

 

[Julianna]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Kat,

Thank you for sharing your tips and reflections on Cadaver Lab. The school I went to did not include that in their program and hearing about your experience makes we wish they did. One of these days I just may have to look into attending a lab through another school.

 

[Dashing Geek is Bada$$]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

@ Jason: The donor's full name was on his ankle eforum.xxx, and we were told it before ever entering the lab. I wonder if the rules about such things differ by state?

In service,

Kat

I don't know. What I do know is that cadaver labs are generally a bit paranoid about that info because there is a chance that someone encountering the corpse may recognize the name or possibly even know that person (and/or their family/friends). That could lead to all kinds of horrible moral, ethical, and possibly legal situations that are best avoided. The simple way to prevent them is to keep the person's name private. Other info, such as sex, age, some aspects of their health history, even some aspects of their work/lifestyle may be relevant to the learning process, but the name really isn't relevant nor necessary.

I am glad to know your cadavers are treated with the care and respect they deserve. To me, that is the most important aspect. How the cadaver labs/learning institutions choose to handle the personal details of their cadavers is decided by their respective management teams within the scope of the relevant laws. Fortunately, neither you nor I are responsible for making those decisions.

 

[Corinne G]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Someone in my class always lathered on some sort of pear-scented lotion whenever we did our cadaver labs. It didn't smell like REAL pear (thank God!) but now every time I smell that scent I always feel a little bit queasy. Mixed in with the formaldehyde smell, it was amazingly disgusting. I found out very quickly that I prefer the straight formaldehyde smell.

 

[Begum]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

For those unable to get into a cadaver lab in the near future, I highly recommend Gil Hedley's "Integral Anatomy" DVD series, which can be found at http://www.gilhedley.com. I had seen them before, but last week I purchased the whole set and am thoroughly enjoying them! His presentation is completely original and full of fascinating observations and insights into the interrelationships of structure, function, movement, and the whole being. In short, Gil makes anatomical dissection seem like a fascinating work of performance art that will leave you wanting more.

Fortunately, you can always go back and watch it again.

For a quick sample of Gil's work, go to http://www.CSTMinnesota.com or http://www.GilHedley.com and watch "The Fuzz Speech" - it's short, fun, and gives you some flavor of the tone of the DVD series. It is also one of the few times on his DVDs that you get to see Gil.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

wow. i had no idea that this was a common course of study for MTs. it sounds fascinating. none of the schools in my area include anything like it though the traps are really that thin??? i want to yank on an IT band... i wonder when bodyworlds will come around again...

thank you for posting.

 

[airjbasketball]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

For those unable to get into a cadaver lab in the near future, I highly recommend Gil Hedley's "Integral Anatomy" DVD series, which can be found at http://www.gilhedley.com. I had seen them before, but last week I purchased the whole set and am thoroughly enjoying them! His presentation is completely original and full of fascinating observations and insights into the interrelationships of structure, function, movement, and the whole being. In short, Gil makes anatomical dissection seem like a fascinating work of performance art that will leave you wanting more.

Fortunately, you can always go back and watch it again.

For a quick sample of Gil's work, go to http://www.CSTMinnesota.com or http://www.GilHedley.com and watch "The Fuzz Speech" - it's short, fun, and gives you some flavor of the tone of the DVD series. It is also one of the few times on his DVDs that you get to see Gil.

This is great! Thanks. Our school isn't able to provide cadaver labs and the closest Bodies! exhibit is in Vegas- a 2.5 hour drive so this could be a great library resource. Unfortunately, nothing compares with being able to touch and feel

 

[derfini]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. This is something I have actually been strongly considering after reading an article about it in Massage Magazine last month. I KNOW that I am one of those people who will get queasy and emotional, I get that way just from looking at the cadavers in my anatomy book. However this is something I truly want to experience and am willing to endure. I am planning to start with the BODIES exhibit just to build my self up to the Cadaver Seminar experience. I have to say, I am nauseously excited!! I hope I can make it through it. Thank you again for sharing.

i wonder when bodyworlds will come around again....

Here is the link for the CEU tour of BODIES http://elearn.educatedtouch.com/

 

[Ethan]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

I am planning to start with the BODIES exhibit just to build my self up to the Cadaver Seminar experience. I have to say, I am nauseously excited!! I hope I can make it through it. Thank you again for sharing.

The worst part is the fetuses, and they give you an option to skip that section.

 

[Little Lyn]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Thank you for your insight. I've been thinking about doing a cadaver dissection, but I'm afraid I'd be too emotional about it. I should look at it just as you do: the person in front of you offered their body as a gift to you, so that you could learn from it. If I were making this sort of donation, I would hope that the students wouldn't feel bad about it, either.

 

[Timbo is here]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

We had 24 hours of cadavier study at my school, was the main reason I chose it.
The first session we were nervous, and shy to 'touch'. Only 4 of us stayed for the really detailed stuff. We also yanked on the IT band, the only thing I can compare it to are those plastic binders on boxes (the kind you have to find the end and pull it just right to get off) super strong!! I didn't think the traps were that thin, but the lats sure were at the origin!! For this I wore my hair up, splash googles, a mask, gloves, and lab coat.
The second round, much less nervy, eager to 'get in there and see what we could find. Especially useful from working in the clinic and coming across areas I wanted to understand a bit better, for example subscap. This time I ditched the lab coat and the mask.
Third time, I actually got to dissect the entire leg myself. This was so amazing for me, there is really no other way to see how integrated the muscle, skin, and fascia are. This time I only wore gloves and goggles, splashed some formaldehyde in my hair and didn't think anything of it. Amazing experience, it really helps to be able to visualize how whats under your hands is put together.

We weren't allowed to learn our donors names, but we gave them our own names. Thank you again George, Gracie, and Joe. When George and Gracie were 'finished' we were all invited to their burials to pay respects.

I highly recommend seeking out a cadavier study, its and experience like no other. Bodyworlds is very cool, but its actually getting to touch and feel that is the most beneficial for LMTs. I guess I should also mention, that the experience did contribute to me adopting a vegetarian diet I was already halfway there anyways though

 

[Rylee]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Thank you for sharing your experience, LMTyogini! Reading this makes me more eager to look for a cadaver lab.

 

[Isabela]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Since this thread popped up again, I wanted to let folks know about the whole name thing.

In Ohio they are required to ask students ahead of time if they know the individual in question. If anybody does, the cadaver is sent back and another one brought in. This is how they avoid people recognizing the bodies of people they know. That's why real names are always used here.

Kat

 

[tiggermom1218]

Cadaver Study Tips and Reflections

Wow! Very cool post. Thanks for sharing. I wish we had this experience. I believe it would have been very helpful in our studies.