Disdainful Dissection

Sydney Brignole Anatomy and Physiology 6th Period Mrs. Giaunnou October 1, 2013

Dissection is disdainful. Since about the 1920s dissection has been a high school classroom norm and an expectation in classes like anatomy and physiology. Students disect dead organisms for research and exploration of the body to better understand the form and function of different body types as well as compare to the human body type. Although, what may have started off as a technological innovation and scientific phenomenon has now become something overused. Dissection in the high school classroom has caused a high demand for animals therefore they are highly mistreated, it has become economically wasteful and many people have failed to utilize the growing technology as a beneficial alternative because of the animals that are so readily provided to them. Animal dissection became a growing trend in the 1920s. As the popularity rose not only in collegiate level classes but in the high school classroom as well, the demand for deceased animals grew exponentially and dissection quickly became the scientific norm. However because animals for dissection are in such high demand breeding of certain species began to take place solely for the purpose to become an animal cadaver in the classroom. As animals are being mass produced, breeders do not provide adequate care and lives for these animals. Their sole purpose is to bread for scientific experiments, research and learning. With the use of animals in the classroom it produces a lack of respect toward all life (Animals in Education). When it is an animals time to die, solutions ranging from immunizations to gas chambers are used to kill of the animals to prepare them for their classroom fate of cruelty and neglect (Kaye). The cruel treatment of the animals not only before death but also after is unacceptable and inhumane (Kretzer). There are other alternatives for learning about the body in a high school

classroom as well as more humane ways to treat living creatures. When teachers have been asked about the growing controversy of dissection, they have responded with the fact that it has always been this way in their career time and that it is the most beneficial for students to have a hands on experience when dealing with organisms and learning about the body. It has been argued that having a real body part to see and handle is most beneficial to understanding the human body but in reality studies have shown that alternate forms of learning the insides of a body are just as effective if not better (NAVS, Dissection in the Classroom). Also, other studies have shown that the emotional ranges and reactions of students dealing with dead animals verses their normal work was close to the same and therefore they are becoming insensitive and dissection is changing the cognitive outlooks on animals (Allspaw). Technology has made significant advancements since the 1920s and even though the vast production of animal cadavers is growing, teachers and students should take advantage of the high quality technology that is being produced to learn more about the human body than even a real body can instigate. Computer simulations have become one of the most successful alternatives to dissection have allow students even deeper access to the functions and parts of a body. With the numbers of breeding and animal cadavers increasing, the smarts behind mass-producing turn to becoming economically wasteful. Animals may be used once in a classroom for a dissection then are recycled. Every dissection requires a new body and therefore more money to provide those bodies to students. While economically technology may be more expensive up front, it pays for itself in the long run considering there is no need for replacing or needing new tools for animal dissection when it is all on a computer screen or presentation (Dissection in the Classroom). The fact of the matter is

that the once-living business is a very big one. Since its start, the dissection business has been growing and growing and therefore finding better ways to advocate for their products and once-living specimens to teachers around the country and world. People must look past the trends to see the negative effects and results of mass dissection in the classroom and weigh the economic benefits in investing in technology (NAVS, Dissection in the Classroom). Though there is a lot of effects negatively correlated to dissection, it has been argued that, like mentioned above, real organism are good for understanding the true form of a body since it is as real as you can get. Seeing a real organ and tissues of a body working together for a specific job and specific organism is very beneficial for the understanding of placement functions of parts of the body (NAVS, Dissection in the Classroom). Also, studies have shown that hands on learning is once of the most beneficial ways to retain information taught in a classroom so therefore in order to learn about the body, dissection must be a beneficial and affective way to do so. Though for some learning types, a hands on experience may be beneficial, in the grand scheme of dissection there are many alternatives to using mass produced animals especially at the high school level. It is understandable to use animals specifically donated for scientific research for lab studies and investigations at a collegiate or professional level but with the amount of animals needed for dissection in all high school classrooms there are better alternatives. Teachers and schools should take advantage of technological resources for learning about the body and spare animal lives instead of using them and then literally throwing them away. Though animal dissection has been a long developing trend in the high school

classroom, it is no longer justified. The means of which animals are made to dissect and use in the learning environment no longer satisfy morals, economic budgets, and do not take advantage of the advancements society is continuously making. Learning about the body should be an enriching experience but real animals are not necessary for solely learning about the body rather than researching. There are many ways especially in the high school classroom for students to learn about the body besides organism dissection including simulations, presentations, and videos. The high school anatomy curriculum should have more moral, economic, and intellectual tactics for learning about the body.

Works Cited "Victory! Animals Spared Dissection in D.C." PETA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. Secondary Science Classroom Dissections: Informing policy by Evaluating Cognitive Outcomes and Exploring Affective Outcomes Udini.org Web. Oct. 2013. "Animals in Education: Classroom Dissection." : An All Creatures Animal Rights Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. "The Pros and Cons of Animal Dissection." ROAR RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013. "DISSECTION IN THE CLASSROOM." Dissection in the Classroom. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2013.