I want to get at something else, the issue of whether these students are doing exactly the same sort of science that was being done at the end of the dark ages. In an average anatomy class dead animals are handed out to students. Students perform various forms of butchery. In focusing on these parts of the body, the students are told about how it works, or at least how it works in general.
More body parts are dissected. More knowledge is provided. The bodies are then thrown away in special trashcans. The whole process repeats with a new group the next morning. What I do mean to make fun of is that we seem to now teach anatomy in exactly the same way that it was being taught at the end of the dark ages.
Specifically, students look at bodies of animals, but are not encouraged in any way to make real observations. Even where the differences among bodies are noted, they are seldom measured. Even when measurements are taken, they are seldom recorded. Now, you might say, Rob, you are confusing things. At the end of the dark ages we were ignorant about the body. Simple measurements could produce new knowledge. Now we understand the body.
Of course, there is that difference. The function of the appendix is under new scrutiny. The stomach too. How and why do intestines vary among individuals?
How frequent are different deformations of particular organs. Are there tradeoffs between investment in one organ and in another? Such mutations are hard to study because of their very rarity, but we dissect so many pigs, cats and other animals that even something that turns up in just one in a million animals turns up somewhere in some class each year.
What else could be studied? The point is there are discoveries right beneath students as they look up at their teaching assistants or teachers, but we are training them to ignore them, to see the general story at the expense of the truth.
What now? I have one idea, probably an overly simple one, inspired by work in citizen science. Plus, the chemicals used to preserve animals are unhealthy formaldehyde, for example, irritates the eyes, nose, and throat. One reason frogs are often chosen to be dissected is that their bodies provide a good overview of the organ systems of a complex living thing. The organs present in a frog, and the way they are laid out in the body, are similar enough to humans to provide insight for students about how their bodies work.
All animals who are dissected were once alive. Before being cut up by students gross! Carolina obtains animals from many sources—some from cultures, some from natural or managed habitats where seasonal collections are made, and many from the food industry.
Cats are still being dissected in other schools across the country. Formaldehyde has also been identified as a possible human carcinogen which is concerning considering students are often directly handling animals doused in this chemical. More and more students and teachers alike are objecting to dissection and questioning its validity as a learning tool in the classroom.
Luckily for students at the K level, they are legally allowed to refuse animal dissection. There are also laws in 11 states concerning student choice, as well as several other states with informal choice policies.
A map indicating the policies of each state is available online via AnimaLearn. These laws mean that schools must let students or parents know about dissections and allow the student to choose an alternative without being punished. There is also a wide variety of humane alternatives available, so no animal ever needs to be killed for dissection again. This is basically a lending library of all sorts of dissection alternatives, including CD programs, models, and mannequins.
Their full catalog can be searched online, and the items in it are loaned for free. There are many ways to bring attention to the cruelties and dangers of dissection. Some countries, such as Argentina, Slovakia, India, and Israel have even banned it or severely restricted its use. One of the main ways to fight dissection is to ensure your state or university has a student choice policy.
If one does not already exists, especially at the university level where refusing dissection can be harder and have more negative consequences, get out there and make it happen! This includes connecting with professors or administrators about your concerns to work on formulating a student policy, finding like-minded students, writing a petition if necessary, and providing more information about alternatives. Sample policies can be found at AnimaLearn to provide guidance in this process.
Of course, education about alternatives at all levels is critical to stopping this practice, so get creative. What options can you think of to stop dissection once and for all? Image Source: U.
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