Studying Anatomy from the 'Inside Out'

December 2016

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Biology students were fascinated by Gunther Von Hagens' plastinated animals.

Year 12 Biology students have visited the Centre for Life to experience Gunther Von Hagens' fascinating exhibition, 'Animals Inside Out' as part of their A-Level studies.

The exhibition, which included plastinated animals including an elephant, bear, giraffe and examples of marine life, gave students the opportunity to study the intricacies of the muscular system, and investigate the organ structure of animals in comparison to that of humans.

Following this, students visited Newcastle RVI to take part in a post mortem style examination of real human tissue. The session took place in the medical school pathology labs, with several study stations available to allow students to gain hands-on experience to support and enhance their classroom learning.

Each station displayed real human remains and gave students the opportunity to examine a human brain, move the legs and arms to get a better understanding of the joints and muscles, and study the digestive system in situ.

Year 12 student, Bethany D said, "It was fascinating to hold a human brain, look at the detail in the cerebellum and discuss different parts of the brain that are responsible for memories and movement."

Abbi S commented, "Being able to compare the same body part in different animals was really interesting. I enjoyed being able to see the hundreds of millions of tiny blood vessels covering the animals."

Charlie-Ann D said, "This was a fantastic opportunity to gain a better understanding of both animal and human anatomy. The whole experience was inspiring."