Anatomy Lab in Medical School and Humanism

Just wanted to write a short entry which I feel will be especially relevant to entering students.

I remember the first time my anatomy group and I made an incision on our donor (I try to avoid the use of the word "cadaver" as much as I can, because these people who donated their bodies are so much more than that).  We all put a hand on the scalpel and made an incision down the centre of the back as we were starting to work to expose the rest of the superficial back muscles.

I think that's pretty unforgettable for me, I still think a lot about that moment and what it meant: it marked the beginning of me learning anatomy hands-on, and my first encounter with a person who willed their body to medicine.

I never felt nauseous or scared about working with a donor body, but I felt slightly uneasy when I thought about the donor's face and I always tried to make an effort not to look at it or let it be uncovered by the blue towel, probably because I felt it was too personal and just gazing upon someone who has passed can make anyone feel a little strange and uncomfortable.

It wasn't until head and neck anatomy that I truly felt comfortable gazing upon the face of our donor, and when you reach that point in your curriculum, you feel very connected to the person who donated their body so that we could learn.

 Dissection continued throughout the year, and one of the most memorable moments was when we were working through the mediastinum (chest cavity) and found a "bump" on the left side of our donor.  We were told to examine it, and we made an incision.

We hit metal.  The bump was a pacemaker implanted under the skin, with the wires going into the heart.  I hid this pretty well from everyone, but I instantly started thinking about my grandfather and his open heart surgery. 

I then thought more about my donor: did he run around with his grandchildren and watch soccer games with them?  Did he live a happy life?  When did he decide to will his body and become the best professor of anatomy we could meet?

To this day, I think of the donor as a patient of mine, or someone who I would treat similarly to a patient.  I made every effort not to rest the tools I used on my donor, I made sure the donor was always covered except for the areas we were working on.  I never named my donor, as our donor had his/her own name and doing so would dilute the utmost respect I had for this person who donated their body so that we could learn anatomy and one day, use that knowledge to cure disease and save lives.

I hope all of you entering medical school, or who learn anatomy from donor bodies think about the person who is teaching you in silence, who lets you gaze upon every aspect of them: their heart, their brain, their hands, their lungs, every organ, every replaced joint, every pacemaker or implant.  

It remains one of the most amazing experiences I've had in medical school so far, and I cannot thank the anonymous donor enough, and all I can really do is continue to honour this person who taught me so much. 

Thank you for reading.