"What does the dick stand for? Penis?" asked my anatomy lab mate (jokingly)."No. It stands for 'flexor digitorum longus.' See, it goes 'Tom, dick, and nervous Harry.' These are the tendons that go through the tarsal tunnel. By that order, from anterior to posterior around the medial malleolus, it goes tibialis posterior (T in Tom), flexor digitorum longus (D in Dick), posterior tibial artery (A in And), tibial nerve (N in Nervous), and Flexor Hallicucus Longus (H in Harry)." I said during our last Prologue anatomy lab on Friday afternoon.
Anatomy probably involves the most memorization and comprehension I have come to know. Students and anatomists will develop all sorts of mnemonics, sayings, and dances to remember the order of tendons, the components in a fossa (space), the purpose of nerves, and anything else that requires memorization. Oftentimes, I'm trying to figure out which mnemonic goes with which anatomical concept.
FYI- "C3-C4-C5- keeps the diaphragm alive."
And there is the X-rated cranial nerve saying, which I will omit.
With our Anatomy Final coming up on Friday, I am feeling the pressure and time crunch. I never new the limbs could be some complicated.
***
Overall, anatomy has been an interesting experience. Friday ended with an eruption of applause to acknowledge our amazing anatomy family of instructors and PT students, who have been with us since Day 1--orienting us with the body in lecture and teaching us during lab.
Friday was Anatomy Lab 9, the last three hour lab for Prologue, an 8 week introductory crash-course of anatomy, pharmacology, histology, biopsychosocialogy, physical exam skills, and so forth. There is the final this Friday, so we're not really quite done yet and I am obviously too distracted right now to study anatomy.
We spend the most time in the Anatomy Lab during Prologue, oftentimes 6 hrs per week (in 2 three hour chunks on Wednesdays and Friday afternoons, times when my attention span wanes considerably and the view is the best with the sun shining through our 13th floor lab). Also, we may spend additional open time to review the structures glossed over during lab.
So for Prologue, we spent 27 hours (minimum) in lab. For most people it was way more time.
***
When most people probably think about medical school, they probably think about scrubs, anatomy, dissection, and other descriptors. And yes, there is plenty of that at first. There was the initial trepidation involved with actually cutting another human body; there was the inevitable smell (a mix of formaldehyde and rotting tissue); there was a crowded table, there was cutting (and negotiating shared scalpel time) and there was spending time navigating the body looking for structures (some very obvious and some not so obvious).
And yes, the prospective surgeons get called out by lab mates.
Anatomy is a transforming process. We all start with our fresh blue scrubs and wide-eyes ready to visualize the human body from outside to inside. Some of us more ready than others. We learn fast to detach the human identity from the body that looks up at us from a metal table. We quickly dissect, cut away, looking to uncover the particular artery or nerve or muscle, dirtying our scrubs and getting our gloved covered in body juices.
I have my feelings about the human side of things. I have lots to say but don't really know how to articulate my response to anatomy. I really enjoyed anatomy; I walk away with a deeper appreciation for the human body and fragility of life. Most importantly, I am deeply embedded to the family that donated perhaps the ultimate gift for the sake of our learning; I can't even begin to express my gratitude for what I have been bestowed from complete strangers.
At the same time, it's really easy to forget the human story of the individual, when you have three-hours, a list of objectives and bold-terms to plow through. I know nothing about the individual, aside from the cause of death and gender (female). And maybe it's better I don't know anything...
But I know about the intricate structures of her anatomy; I have touched her heart (literally), seen her lungs, felt her uterus, traced the blood supply though her arteries and veins, observed her muscles move, seen her abdominal viscera, and so much more. It's remarkable and yet so sad.
At times its like you are navigating an unknown area, looking to understand the anatomical landmarks and intricacies and all those details. And yet, we are all human and really can't disconnect ourselves completely from the human we are studying.
We all have those moments of human realization. None of us saw the faces of our bodies. The gauze will be removed during the Brain-Mind-Behavior Block, when we dissect the brain. But some of caught glimpses and for some that was an unpleasant experience. I can still remember hearing screams from a neigboring table when the face was accidentally uncovered. Others had adverse reactions to the hand and toes, perhaps because these structures are remind us about the truth that we all sometimes forget...
Since Friday will be here soon, I think it's time to return to the lower and upper limbs. And this may require an anatomy lab revisit...
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