Nervous about Cadavers...

[yalla22]

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Sure, no one cares. They might make fun of you a little but secretly they'll be jealous. That being said, I don't know if that will do much for the smell, and I wouldn't get like a "SARS mask" N-95 respirator or anything like that because you won't feel like you're getting enough air -- get a loose fitting mask with earloops, or maybe even just tie a handkerchief around your face like a bandit. Keep in mind that any mask will eventually absorb the smell itself so be prepared to wash or replace it very often.
Some people say that coating their nostrils with vaseline really does wonders.

oh okay lol...i was just thinking they would provide them in anatomy lab, like the same type that surgeons wear that fit loosely around the ears and are disposable...

 

[stiffany]

oh okay lol...i was just thinking they would provide them in anatomy lab, like the same type that surgeons wear that fit loosely around the ears and are disposable...

You can find packs of masks like those online for a small amount of money. I've used www.allheart.com for stuff in the past (http://www.allheart.com/n95-masks.html) - but the ones that are cheaper than the n-95 masks and not as restrictive on this site, but there are lots of sites out there. I've seen anesthesiologists and surgeons share some toothpaste looking stuff that smells like bubblegum or grape rubbed in the paper masks in especially smelly cases. So maybe that might help you (or just turn you off from bubblegum for life!)?

 

[owlet]

I've heard that rubbing some Vic's Vapo Rub under your nose can help with the smell. I'm not sure I'd actually prefer it, but it's probably worth a try.

 

[rich1234]

If this is a smell that permeates and in a way "infects" the air and surrounding objects or people that will then reek of dead cadaver, my question is, how easy is it to wash out of your clothes?

 

[ZagDoc]

If this is a smell that permeates and in a way "infects" the air and surrounding objects or people that will then reek of dead cadaver, my question is, how easy is it to wash out of your clothes?

It doesn't, pretty much.

Anyone else read Final Exam by Dr. Chen? I thought her section on gross anatomy and cadavers was an interesting read.

 

[tulane06]

If this is a smell that permeates and in a way "infects" the air and surrounding objects or people that will then reek of dead cadaver, my question is, how easy is it to wash out of your clothes?

Wear clothes/shoes that you won't mind throwing out at the end of the course.

 

[mahreen]

i hv completed my 2nd yr course.now its all over with cadavers..........i am happy!the 1st day in dissection hall was tough mostly coz of formaline n also coz of cadaver itself.the whole week i was thinking "might there b any way i can FAST FORWARD the tow years" but it was all fine after that when we got involved in dissection n preparations for substages.my 1st region was upper limb.
hope u ll find it all well within maximum two weeks.but the smell of formalin still haunt me.wish u good luck!🙂

 

[thegenius]

Un Owen, I would refrain from looking at your cadaver's face until you have to. It really makes the experience more pleasant. Usually head and neck sections are the last ones you do, so you'll see it at the end. Much easier to disassociate the face from the body that way.

 

[Vitum Medicinus]

• Fainting: Don't be surprised if somebody passes out on the first day. It happened in my class.
• Crying: Don't be surprised if you are overcome with emotion when the head bags are removed and the faces revealed. You wouldn't be the first student to react this way.
• Smell in air: The Vicks Vapo-Rub under the nose (or in the nostrils) is useful. It has made the odour bearable for me more than once.
• Smell on hands: Your hands WILL smell if you use simply latex gloves. Use the nitrile gloves if you want your hands to not smell.
• Double-gloving: If you double-glove, the best way that I've found is to have nitrile gloves on the inside, and latex on the outside. This way, you get the smell protection from nitrile and the tight fit from latex.
• Clothing: If your medical school encourages you to wear scrubs to lab, do it. If it doesn't, wear clothes that you are willing to have ruined. I'm pretty careful in lab to not get things on me, and even if you get nothing on you the smell will seep into the clothes and stay there. As careful as I was, I still had a bad experience in lab which involved human fat and body fluid dripping down my leg. My pants were pretty much soaked before I noticed the wetness on my leg. Boy, was I glad I was wearing scrubs that day...so many times I had thought of just skipping changing into scrubs and wearing my street clothes instead.
• Flashbacks: My heart goes out to the people here who have lost loved ones and are concerned that this may interfere with their anatomy learning. I, too, have lost a family member but never suffered from flashbacks. Perhaps that's just me, but as it's been said here before, the cadavers in some ways do not even look human.

 

[nlax30]

I'll have to try the trick using vapor rub or rubbing something under my nose.

The smell is really the only thing I'm a little concerned about. From past dissecting experiences and watching surgeries I'm fine with anything visually, just when I get a good whiff of something odd is when my gag reflex jumps in.

 

[Hurricane95]

Nah...you get used to it after five minutes. It really is no big deal. Actually, now that I think about it, there really wasn't anyone I can remember in my class of 150 who was queezy or anything. Everyone was pretty natural about it. The smell is bad for the first couple of weeks...by the ninth week it was so routine it didn't faze anyone...only anyone outside of your class who was unlucky enough to run into you after lab before you change . Really, the formalin stinks. And it can be irritating to the throat and eyes after a while. But you can wear goggles if it really bothers your eyes a lot.

Never wash your anatomy scrubs with other clothes. I actually washed all my scrubs at a public laundromat, not in my house's machine. The smell spreads very easily to other fabrics, etc. so be careful.

 

[LegacyDoctress]

Here's something to keep in mind-

These are people, that have died, that decided to give their bodies to your medical to school to HELP YOU LEARN. Their last wish was to assist future physicians in their training. Accept their help, and thank them for it.

People make jokes because they are nervous, and possibly immature. Don't be like that. Respect the person you have in front of you. They can't help the way they look, especially post-mortem.

I am considering a career in pathology, so I am more comfortable around people who are deceased (note: they are not just cadavers...they are people who happen to be dead)...I have found that putting things into perspective helps a lot, and keeps your sense of humanity. That way, when you see patients, you will be seeing a patient with a fractured pelvis...not "the hip case".

Oh yes, the smell will get to you. Wearing a painter's mask with a little Vapo-Rub inside it may help with that.

Hope this can help.

~ L

 

[DickyV]

Really, the formalin stinks. And it can be irritating to the throat and eyes after a while. But you can wear goggles if it really bothers your eyes a lot.

Is it okay to wear contacts when in lab? I know it's a big no-no in chem.

 

[montessori2md]

I read First Cut, it's a book that goes through the whole anatomy course, by a journalist. Thought it was pretty good, a little on the soft/mushy side of the spectrum.

 

[Hurricane95]

I think wearing contacts is recommended against because it can trap fumes and irritate your eyes more...at least that's what they say. Lots of people seem to agree. However, for some reason, I'm an oddball. I think the contacts actually protected my eyes. The only day I had itchy eyes was the day I DIDN'T wear them...otherwise I never had a problem. Put drops in right before to keep 'em moist for a few hours and that was that.

 

[Nomemory]

I read First Cut, it's a book that goes through the whole anatomy course, by a journalist. Thought it was pretty good, a little on the soft/mushy side of the spectrum.

cute kid.

 

[acedens]

I am hoping the chance of this is low, but ... last year my great-uncle passed away and donated his body to the local medical school. I am an incoming M1 to this school, and I am a little concerned about seeing him.

I am wondering if I should ask someone in the anatomy department about this before school. Realistically, he could have been used last year, or for another purpose (like dental students, summer anatomy) - I don't know how long he would stay there before being used. Should I ask, or am I being over-worrisome?

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I'm not 100% sure about this, but my understanding that cadavers are used pretty soon after the person has died and they have been prepped and preserved for dissection. If it was last year, I'd doubt they'd be using it for your medical school class. You could still check just to be sure as that would be a major traumatic experience for a family member to experience.

 

[la petite mort]

When I took anatomy in undergrad, we dissected cats. I've never looked at my cat the same way. I always think about the underlying muscles, glands on the side of the skull when I am petting it, or the internal organs.

How is this going to translate when I dissect a human cadaver? This may sound silly, but am I going to start thinking about all the internal goings-on of my wife? Every time i have a bowel movement, am I going to think about all of the coordinated actions that are producing it? I just hope, once i lose my ignorance of the human body, that I can still stand to be inside one.

I'm worried about that too. How am I going to find my husband's body sexy again after disecting dead penis?

 

[Doublecortin]

I'm worried about that too. How am I going to find my husband's body sexy again after disecting dead penis?

well, how do you think a male OB/GYN finds his wife sexy? 😱 I guess, you just don't think about it

 

[Abilene85]

I'm worried about that too. How am I going to find my husband's body sexy again after disecting dead penis?

Well I would assume you are attracted to your husband for reasons other than his body. We certainly don't dissect the human soul during lab. If you view sex as something greater than a means to "scratch the itch," then you should have no problem with it after anatomy.

 

[la petite mort]

well, how do you think a male OB/GYN finds his wife sexy? 😱 I guess, you just don't think about it

Who would want to have sex with a woman at night after looking at vaginas in every variety all day long? I mean, really. These guys have seen the worst cases of yeast infection up close, where it looks like someone poured a pound of sticky cornmeal over a bad rash. 😕

 

[OncoCaP]

I'm worried about that too. How am I going to find my husband's body sexy again after disecting dead penis?

Hopefully you won't be confusing your cadaver with your husband's anatomy too much. Chances are your cadaver will be a male who in his 70s and they don't really even look alive. I seriously doubt you will have much trouble keeping thoughts of your sex life and images of your cadaver in different mental filing cabinets (let's hope so, anyway )

 

[la petite mort]

Well I would assume you are attracted to your husband for reasons other than his body. We certainly don't dissect the human soul during lab. If you view sex as something greater than a means to "scratch the itch," then you should have no problem with it after anatomy.

Ooh, snap! 🙄

I was merely pondering on how psychological associations with the physicality of sex (which I'm sure you agree is a pivotal part of the activity itself; it's kind of hard to have sex with someone's soul) might change after going through the dissecation experience and seeing the body in such an intimate way. Nearly all the doctors and med students I know, when the cadaver topic has come up, have told me of the ways it changed their previous perspective on routine things, at least for awhile.

You could have phrased that statement in a way that it wouldn't sound so misguidedly condescending.

 

[la petite mort]

Hopefully you won't be confusing your cadaver with your husband's anatomy too much. Chances are your cadaver will be a male who in his 70s and they don't really even look alive. I seriously doubt you will have much trouble keeping thoughts of your sex life and images of your cadaver in different mental filing cabinets (let's hope so, anyway )

How do you know my husband isn't in his 70s and doesn't really look alive? 😀

 

[Powel6016]

If u think the smell of anatomy lab and the cadavers is bad or u don't like it, wait until u get to autopsy and see a fresh dead body. Our cadavers were years old, don't even look human

 

[ZagDoc]

If u think the smell of anatomy lab and the cadavers is bad or u don't like it, wait until u get to autopsy and see a fresh dead body. Our cadavers were years old, don't even look human

Really? Interesting. Our school's body donation program has a 12 month turnover rate in order to get the individual's ashes back to the family.

 

[smq123]

I'm not 100% sure about this, but my understanding that cadavers are used pretty soon after the person has died and they have been prepped and preserved for dissection. If it was last year, I'd doubt they'd be using it for your medical school class.

At some schools, the cadavers are > 1 year old. It depends on when they were able to receive the body (i.e. if they received it after anatomy is over, then the body will have to be stored until next year's anatomy class starts again), etc.

I'm worried about that too. How am I going to find my husband's body sexy again after disecting dead penis?

😕

Think about it. Thousands and thousands of female doctors and med students world-wide went through anatomy and dissected a male body (or watched one being dissected).

The vast majority of those thousands and thousands of women were able to get married and have children.

If THEY can do it, what makes you so unique that YOU can't do it?

Who would want to have sex with a woman at night after looking at vaginas in every variety all day long? I mean, really. These guys have seen the worst cases of yeast infection up close, where it looks like someone poured a pound of sticky cornmeal over a bad rash. 😕

Provided that his wife doesn't have a similar yeast infection, then he should not have trouble having sex with her.

Practically every male ob/gyn that I have worked with has a wife and kids. Usually several kids. If they can do it, then anybody can.

I was merely pondering on how psychological associations with the physicality of sex (which I'm sure you agree is a pivotal part of the activity itself; it's kind of hard to have sex with someone's soul) might change after going through the dissecation experience and seeing the body in such an intimate way. Nearly all the doctors and med students I know, when the cadaver topic has come up, have told me of the ways it changed their previous perspective on routine things, at least for awhile.

You're over-intellectualizing this.

Of course anatomy lab changes your perspective, but in a good way.

For instance, after anatomy was over, when the cashier at Starbucks gave me change, I could look at his arm and visualize the muscles and tendons that allowed him to grasp coins and give them to me. And it was amazing to realize how effortless using your arms can be - but most people have no idea how complex it is under the surface.

You'll quickly learn to distinguish what you see in medical school and what you see in your "real life." If I were to see a young, thin, good-looking guy in a coffee shop, then my first reaction would be "Hey, he's attractive."

If I were to see that same guy in the ER, my first reaction would be, "YES! He's thin, and I won't have to shove aside piles of fat in order to listen to his heart!" The fact that he's attractive wouldn't enter my mind, because it's not what I'm focusing on.

You'll be fine. Don't think these things through so much.

 

[Abilene85]

Ooh, snap! 🙄
......
You could have phrased that statement in a way that it wouldn't sound so misguidedly condescending.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off that way. 🙁 I don't try to be one of those snippy, sarcastic SDNers, but reading my post again this morning, I can totally see how it was misunderstood as condescending. Unfortunately (and at the same time interestingly), the internet allows us to read posts in whatever tone of voice we so choose to best match the feeling we get from the words we are reading. It was actually an attempt at helping you realize that you should have no problem separating the dead cadaver from the living, loving husband. My apologies.

 

[smq123]

Well I would assume you are attracted to your husband for reasons other than his body. We certainly don't dissect the human soul during lab. If you view sex as something greater than a means to "scratch the itch," then you should have no problem with it after anatomy.

You could have phrased that statement in a way that it wouldn't sound so misguidedly condescending.

Abilene85's post sounded condescending? 😕

Interesting. It didn't sound condescending to me at all.

Another example of the inherent ambiguity that comes with internet communications. 🙂

 

[sprinkibrio]

If u think the smell of anatomy lab and the cadavers is bad or u don't like it, wait until u get to autopsy and see a fresh dead body. Our cadavers were years old, don't even look human

When do we do this? I'm assuming 3rd year, but which rotation?

 

[smq123]

When do we do this? I'm assuming 3rd year, but which rotation?

Med students don't routinely get to go to autopsies.

If you did get to go to one, it would probably be as a 4th year, on a pathology elective rotation. At my school, the path department offers an autopsy elective rotation.

If you're interested in pathology or think you might like to be a medical examiner, during your 2nd year pathology course, ask the pathology course director if you could arrange to shadow a pathologist that is doing an autopsy. They will almost certainly welcome you with open arms - the pathologists at my school were always inviting us to come watch an autopsy "as a study break." 🙂

 

[Depakote]

Med students don't routinely get to go to autopsies.

If you did get to go to one, it would probably be as a 4th year, on a pathology elective rotation. At my school, the path department offers an autopsy elective rotation.

If you're interested in pathology or think you might like to be a medical examiner, during your 2nd year pathology course, ask the pathology course director if you could arrange to shadow a pathologist that is doing an autopsy. They will almost certainly welcome you with open arms - the pathologists at my school were always inviting us to come watch an autopsy "as a study break." 🙂

My school has an autopsy elective for 1st years following the anatomy block. I know other schools have it as an actual requirement that you sit in on at least one.

 

[doctorFred]

cadaver lab was f_cking disgusting, especially near the end of the year when everything really starts to jerky-ize.

 

[la petite mort]

For instance, after anatomy was over, when the cashier at Starbucks gave me change, I could look at his arm and visualize the muscles and tendons that allowed him to grasp coins and give them to me. And it was amazing to realize how effortless using your arms can be - but most people have no idea how complex it is under the surface.

I can envision that happening to me. Way cool.

I'm blown away just by my heart beating after working out. And thinking about the delicate and complex clockwork inside. 😀

 

[la petite mort]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off that way. 🙁 I don't try to be one of those snippy, sarcastic SDNers, but reading my post again this morning, I can totally see how it was misunderstood as condescending. Unfortunately (and at the same time interestingly), the internet allows us to read posts in whatever tone of voice we so choose to best match the feeling we get from the words we are reading. It was actually an attempt at helping you realize that you should have no problem separating the dead cadaver from the living, loving husband. My apologies.

It really is hard finding the right tone. Thank goodness for smilies. 🙂

I just wanted to make sure no one thought I was some idiot who only cared about how sexy her husband's penis was or something.

Sarcasm is important in some situations!

 

[WiscDoc]

You might wanna check out some dissection videos... our school has some good ones 🙂

http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/

As for an initial reaction, for some reason I never had one. It was normal, though I never had any kind of anatomy before med school. I always thought these people who donated their bodies were great, and I really appreciated it, but even skinnning the face wasn't that hard for me (it was over with in 3 minutes). As for sawing the skull in half, that was the best part! Good old gross anatomy days. sigh

 

[Powel6016]

When do we do this? I'm assuming 3rd year, but which rotation?

We had autopsy as part of our pathology course. It helped reinforce what we were learning. I might add I'm in a foreign med school. Our curriculum might be a little different.

 

[HeadMed]

Without a doubt, anatomy is the most overhyped portion of med school (at least thus far).

Maybe I am exceptionally callous, but a cadaver is nothing like a real person. I would liken them to full scale models instead of "your first patients". The purpose of dissection is to gain an understanding of spatial relationships that cannot be inferred from your anatomy atlas. The cadaver is not a patient. You are not making them better, you never talked to them before the "procedure", and you most definitely are not doing any follow-up. For all of you aspiring surgeons, dissection is nothing like surgery. Your ability to separate muscle and fascia layers in the peritoneum of a preserved/hardened/non-vascularized cadaver holds no predictive value for you as a surgeon.

For those of you concerned about the emotional element of dissection, I assure you that too is overhyped. From my understanding most medical school operate with the same set of protocols. That is. one only exposes regions of the cadaver pertinent to the lab. This means you are not staring into the face of your cadaver while you are concurrently going through the abdomen. With that said, the only real potential for an emotional response (IMO), is the hands and face. However, these are generally (though I don't know about all medical schools) not the first regions explored by dissection. By the time you get to this region, the cadaver only loosely resembles the form of a human body. Again, because I am undoubtedly callous and heartless, this had a substantial effect on my perception of the head and hand dissections.

Finally, I also think the persistence of anatomy dissection is largely a historical remnant. Granted is it a good place to investigate muscle relationships (for placing lines, anesthesia, tubes, etc), but the fact that the body is not vascularized significantly detracts from the usefulness. Furthermore, there are some awesome computer resources out there (i.e. vh dissector pro) that provide an equally if not better learning experience than dissection. Exceptions: neuroanatomy and heart anatomy. It is useful to hold both of these organs in your hands and move them around to see how everything is organized and connected.

If you want a really accurate impression of human anatomy, go scrub into surgery (or watch surgery videos). You will be amazed how much easier to identify beating arteries and stimulated nerves. However, if you are concerned about an emotional response, I think you will find that you first experience in surgery (with a living patient) will be much more moving. The smell of cauterized tissue is much more acrid than formaldehyde.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

I'm worried about that too. How am I going to find my husband's body sexy again after disecting dead penis?

Especially when the penis can swell quite large during preserving due to its very vascular nature. Hopefully the member you dissect doesn't make your husband seem "inadequate".

P.S. Observed an autopsy for pathology class. Both terrifying and awesome at the same time.

 

[lilnoelle]

I thought the cadavers looked like waxed statues. They definitely don't look "real". I was surprised at that - it made it quite a bit easier to make that first cut the first day of lab.

An autopsy would be quite a different matter though.

 

[la petite mort]

You might wanna check out some dissection videos... our school has some good ones 🙂

http://www.anatomy.wisc.edu/courses/gross/

As for an initial reaction, for some reason I never had one. It was normal, though I never had any kind of anatomy before med school. I always thought these people who donated their bodies were great, and I really appreciated it, but even skinnning the face wasn't that hard for me (it was over with in 3 minutes). As for sawing the skull in half, that was the best part! Good old gross anatomy days. sigh

I love love love the face dissection one, because the teacher who's walking you through it has a wonderful voice and clear pace.