log 151: cadaver

honor

This week was the first time I have ever seen a deceased human. It was my first time in a cadaver lab and I was unsure how to feel when I was going in. With anatomy labs and dissections I don’t feel very grossed out, but this was the first time it was with something other than a rat. The experience was both a little terrifying yet extremely humbling at the same time. These people donated their bodies to science and I intend on honoring their wishes to learn and in turn heal other people. Our professor gave a lecture on the history of cadaver procurement and it is an absolutely terrifying history. She said that cadavers are our “silent teachers” and that really hit deep. It is not an experience that many people get to have, so I intend on studying diligently and respectfully to honor the person’s life. To be disgusted or scared to study them would feel like the complete opposite of being respectful.