Dissection

We recently dissected a rat in science class. We skinned it, then identified some of his muscles and after we identified some of his organs. It took us several school days including one day for skinning, one day for identifying muscles, one day for identifying organs and then two days for making a google site. The google site had to include pictures of all of the rat’s muscles, all of the rat’s organs and three common diseases for every organ (in humans), and finally it had to include some history.

I personally did not like the concept of dissecting an animal, and the first day was very difficult for many people to stomach seeing the rats. Some reasons against dissecting rats would be that it could be bad for the environment. Depending on how the teachers acquire the animals it could be inhumane. Another con is that it is just for the students, medical studies do not benefit from the animal dissections.

Some reasons for dissecting the animals would be that it does teach students about the organs and location of them. I did learn about the human body because it is similar to how the rat was. Another reason that some people are for dissecting animals is that it can encourage some students to pursue a career in science. The rat dissection also is a productive use for the dead animals.

Personally I see both sides for dissecting and against dissecting animals. I'm also glad that we dissected rats instead of other animals. I have heard some people talk about how when they were in school they dissected a cat and some people have also dissected frogs.

What do you think the best animal to dissect is?
Did the rat dissection (if you have done it) bother you or your stomach?

Source https://www.britannica.com/story/pro-and-con-animal-dissection 

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    • I do think that dissecting aniamls gives them another purpose but also I still found it gross that we had to touch them. I also do like how people have the option to become an organ donor but I'm also no sure how much gets used. I think that there could be times when someone who's organs were supposed to be donated has something happen where they can't be donated, something like their body not being found right away or other stuff. But other times most likely there has been lives saved from organ donors.

  • I think that a cat would've been nice to dissect. I say this because it is bigger and would've been easier to identify the muscles and organs. The dissections did bother my stomach a little bit, but thankfully my group was able to do most of it. It is very cool to see all the organs and muscles. 

  • In my opinion a rat is a good animal to disect because it is not very big but it is big enough to see and identify organs and muscles. Personally I didn't like doing it and didn't like the smell the rat had but it did not bother my stomach at all. I agree it is a required project and we have to do it. 

  • I personally think that a frog would've been fun to dissect. But I also am glad that we didn't have to do a cat, like they used to. The rat dissection did bother my stomach, quite a bit actually. I know others who have gone hunting before, enjoyed the challenge of a smaller animal.  I see both sides of doing the disection and not doing it. I think learning that PETA emailed the school last year with the pigs also put a different perspective on it for me. But overall it is an experience that I think I'm happy I experienced. I know that I don't want to go into the medical field because of it. 

    • I undersstand that some might say a cat could be better because of it's larger size but I do not think I would be ok with doing that to a cat because I like cats. I think frogs would have been about the same as rats for me because I dislike both but I guess it should be whatever is closer to a human. I also heard about what happened to the pig and I'm not really sure what to think about the students who did that. But I am not really happy I got to do it and I think I would have been no different if I had never dissected the rat.

  • I thought it was pretty cool, the way you saw things instead of pictures. It was really easy to, i've never really done anything like that. It wass kind of nasty because like it was meaty. But, it was cool I guess I would do it again if we could. 

    • I thought it was cool also and quite easy and I doubt many people have really done anything like it but I am sure lots of people found it very gross and would not like doing it. I think that it was something that I didn't mind doing this time but I don't think I would willingly do it again.

  • i think that the rat was the best animal I've directed it didn't really bother me at all and it was fun it wasn't that hard but I know that some people did get an upset stomach 

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