"Body of Work--Meditations on mortality from the human anatomy lab"

[CaliforniaPeggy]

I've just finished reading this stunning book, and I cannot recommend it more highly.

The author is Christine Montross; she's a resident in psychiatry.

If you ever wanted to get inside the head of a medical student during the human anatomy lab, this is the book for you!

Outstanding, incisive (no pun intended), thorough, astonishing in its depth and clarity as she struggles to learn all she must and deal with the emotional consequences of cutting into a donated body.

You go on her voyage of self-discovery as she becomes a medical doctor.

I give this book my highest recommendation!

[Miss Chybil]

1. I just finished my second semester of Anatomy and Physiology.

We had two cadavers. Our TA did all the cutting - outside of class. We just poked around and held the different organs. I think cutting, instead of poking, would be an entirely different experience. I know it wouldn't have been easy. Not having read the book you are recommending, I can only say from my own experience the feeling of gratitude I had towards the people who literally gave their all so that I could learn is almost indescribable. I'll take a look at the book. Thanks for the recommend.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. You're welcome!

I know this book will be meaningful to you, much more than it was to me...

The author definitely struggled, and she benefitted a lot from that struggle.

She was extremely grateful to the people who donated their bodies...

[TygrBright]

3. Very cool. I have already specified that all my bits that can't be used...

...as transplant donations should be used for medical training and research. I'd like to think that I made some contribution to better medicine. Burial and cremation are wasteful. If they can't use my bits I wanna be made into compost and put on someone's garden.

hopefully,
Bright

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Good for you!

That is a very good resolution for the eternal question of what do we do with the body!

And the medical schools always need cadavers...

:hi: