How to Dissect Your First Body

Dissecting a cadaver is always a visceral experience. Most people never get to experience the mix of emotions that comes from cutting into the body of the recently deceased. If approached with the right amounts of enthusiasm and sensitivity, however, it can be an incredibly rewarding and educational experience.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. If you are not even a med student, make friends with faculty at your local university. Cadaver labs are sometimes under-booked, and friendly professors may be willing to accept non-students, or simply take you in during off-hours.
2. Be respectful. These people donated their bodies for your edification, not to be the butt of jokes. If you need to cover the face to relax, you can do so. A simple cloth might work best, as the garbage bag or hood used by many labs can be slightly unsettling.
3. Start slow. When making your first incision, you'll be surprised by the resiliency of the skin. It might be to easiest, at first, to try separating the subcutaneous fat from the skin.
4. Open the chest cavity, removing the breast bone in the process. This will give you ready access to the rest of the interior. You will also have to make your way through the thick layer of fat, the omentum, that enwraps the innards.
5. Scrutinize each organ one by one, removing them from the cavity if necessary. If multiple bodies are at your disposal, try weighing against each other the lungs of a smoker verses a non-smoker.
6. When complete, replace all the organs in the proper place. Clean your workspace.

Tips & Warnings

• If necessary, remove some of the excess bodily fluid. This is often best done with a turkey baster and a bucket.

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