Going on a field trip to the cadaver lab located in a local college was definitely unlike any other experience I’ve ever had. I had no idea what it would be like or how I would react. Throughout my high school, and even middle school career, I have dissected various organisms including two fetal pigs, which I was relatively comfortable with. This said, I did not know how I would react to a human body in this state. I had sort of the same apprehension with the Body Worldsexhibit I visited earlier in the year, but once I remembered why the exhibit was held and what kind of contribution those people made to science, I felt more comfortable and appreciative of the opportunity.
The trip began with us going to a brain station, which was amazing. We got to hold a human brain as the supervisor of the trip guided us through all the different parts and functions of the brain. I did not expect a human brain to be so heavy, which made 
holding it an interesting experience. After the trip a few of us asked why our brains do not feel that heavy inside our heads, especially with our entire head structure including many bones attached. The reason is that our neck muscles are actually incredibly strong. This was interesting to me since I had not realized my neck was actually that strong. I then began to think about all the stress we as humans carry in our necks and shoulders and if there is a limit to how much tension we can carry there. Additionally, if our neck and shoulder muscles need to support such heavy and important objects, why does the stress and tension decide to collect there instead of somewhere else that does not work as hard? I understand that everyone carries their stress in different areas, but the neck and shoulders seem to be a very common area and also a potentially more dangerous area to accumulate stress. There must be some sort of logic behind how stress and tension is carried in our bodies and some kind of limit to how much we can take. Hopefully I’ll find the answers to these curious questions soon!
holding it an interesting experience. After the trip a few of us asked why our brains do not feel that heavy inside our heads, especially with our entire head structure including many bones attached. The reason is that our neck muscles are actually incredibly strong. This was interesting to me since I had not realized my neck was actually that strong. I then began to think about all the stress we as humans carry in our necks and shoulders and if there is a limit to how much tension we can carry there. Additionally, if our neck and shoulder muscles need to support such heavy and important objects, why does the stress and tension decide to collect there instead of somewhere else that does not work as hard? I understand that everyone carries their stress in different areas, but the neck and shoulders seem to be a very common area and also a potentially more dangerous area to accumulate stress. There must be some sort of logic behind how stress and tension is carried in our bodies and some kind of limit to how much we can take. Hopefully I’ll find the answers to these curious questions soon!
We then entered the room with the cadavers already dissected and ready for us to observe. I then fully understood the importance of these people dedicating their bodies to science. Seeing and being able to respectfully touch all the organs we had been learning about in class was definitely a very valuable learning experience unlike the ones we had gotten through the textbooks or many diagrams we had been studying. Personally, by observing these bodies I immediately had a better understanding of how our body systems work and what the inside of our bodies actually look like. I feel that this also provided a sort of “putting a face to a name” experience but with organs, body systems, and their functions. Overall, I learned an immense amount from visiting the lab and by just looking at the bodies, making this an extremely valuable experience that I will appreciate and never forget.
Works Cited:
“SEER Training:Muscles of the Head and Neck.” SEER Training:Bone Development & Growth, NIH, www.training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/muscular/groups/head_neck.html.
