If I am in a peevish mood when asked about my work, I will say I see dead people. Seriously. For six to eight hours each week I dissect cadavers in the anatomy lab of my university. For the most part the bodies and I get along well. They mind their own business, and don't seem to resent my fumbling attempts to reveal muscles, nerves, arteries, and veins for the students. I am deeply humbled by the generosity of these donors, and feel a tremendous responsibility to treat each body with the utmost respect.
I must confess, however, that I have mixed feelings about my job. While it is fascinating to see the inner workings of the human body, there are times when the macabre physicality of dissection is a bit much. There is something inherently unnerving about wrangling a disembodied arm on a Sunday morning, and about memos like the one I received several weeks ago:
"The body in tank A is moldy. He has been treated for the mold, but if you want to work on him you might need to wear a mask and maybe put some kleenexes in the mask. Make sure to pass this on to X when he comes in."
Needless to say, I left the body in tank A undisturbed, as did X. Perhaps it is not surprising that I am finding myself craving a normal job. One that I could talk about at the dinner table.
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Anyway, hope you find that normal job.
Fireeyes - thanks. I think it does take a special person to do this work long-term. What I have come to realize recently is that I am not that person;)
You know, Michael, I thought about putting this little trivia in my bio, but decided it might indeed be a bit creepy. Even posting this I had the same qualms. I will say, though, given the current sorry economy I am grateful that I can work around my class schedule, and plan to stick it out for the rest of the semester. It does at least give me gas $.
Jimmy - I will confess that I name the bodies. We are only given a number and cause of death, but I give them names and have found myself patting them gently on occasion. I often wonder about their lives and their families.
OES -right on! They don't complain and they can keep secrets. A definite plus.
I remember when my second son was about 8 and ran through the glass on a storm door (in those days they did not have to be safety glass) and cut his right bicep in half. Literally. I gathered him up, got a tight compress on the wound, which still weeped like hell, and drove him to the emergency room with the throttle floored.
I coolly walked him into the the emergency, demanded service, got it, went into the room and held my boy's hand and told him it would be all OK. About then the doc walks in and tells the nurse that he will take over and asks me to step to the side. I took one step and passed out. It seems that once I knew my boy was in the right hands I just did what I thought I would do when it first happened.
Monte
http://www.wellcomecollection.org/press/2009/WTX053284.htm
Monte - I think when things happen to our family members, it's a different ball game. Had that happened to my son I don't know if I could have kept my cool until we got to the hospital. How scary!
I had an artist friend who willed her body to the Indiana Medical School for just what you're doing. Personally, I couldn't do it, but she was so excited to know that she could be of use after her death. It actually made her happy. She had a wonderful zest for life. She was in her 80s when she died.
I had to find a new doctor this year. The one I found is the best I've ever had and I actually find myself impatient to show up for my appointments. He's in his 70's and a DO. On our first visit we talked of art and philosophy. As he took my blood pressure he told me this wonderful story.
When he was in med school, he did what you did during the day--dissected cadavers. But, at night, he went to a sculpting class. He said it was very "exciting."
Thank you for this line: "and feel a tremendous responsibility to treat each body with the utmost respect." It brought tears to my eyes.
What's "normal?" When I taught school my students often said I was weird. I responded--"I should hope so. What's the alternative? Think about it."
Thanks for what you do.
GARY
still shuddering.
jesus.
""The body in tank A is moldy. He has been treated for the mold, but if you want to work on him you might need to wear a mask and maybe put some kleenexes in the mask. "
my respect for you, already very high, has gone up about 4 notches after reading this ::shudder::
have you ever seen the movie "Reanimator?" you ought to, it ties directly into the disection thing. it's quite a hoot really, and there's nothing in the film that's more disturbing than this post:)
I can talk about my job at the dinner table, but it's so uninteresting that no one wants me to!
Let me guess; he's all wrinkly, right? I knew it, Godamit, I just knew it! It must be him! Say hi to him the next time you see him and tell him Bobby sent you. But watch out, he might curse and throw his kidney at you for mentioning that name, plus he’ll probably tell you that you now him $200.00 for fixing that broken windshield in his car when I threw the rock at Billy and missed.
Bob - good to see you. Now I will be thinking about you and your neighbor whenever I am the lab. I hope this isn't him, but from your description of him, it could well be;)
Scanner - you are right about that. Don't think I would last long in the cubicle world, which is its own special hell.