Animal Dissection: My Opinion of Lack Thereof

Bernice Jones

The Debate: To live dissect animals in classroom or to use models, videos and pictures. Pro-dissectors feel that by doing the dissection yourself, you will learn the most about the insides of the body you are working on. Some of these people consider live dissection as a rite of passage to becoming a doctor or veterinarian. They feel that to understand something you must hold it in your hand and explore it from that vantage point. Pro-Virtualers feel that killing millions of animals and birds every year is unnecessary and wasteful, not to mention inhumane. These people feel that you can learn just as much about the inner workings of animals and humans by working with models, looking at pictures and watching video. They feel that there is no need for the rite of passage, and wish to avoid live dissections at all possible costs.

This is the kind of subject I don't usually consider, and have very little opinion on personally. As a high school student, I participated in dissecting a frog, and while it was a bit icky, it was not completely unpleasant. I have now participated in the virtual dissection of a pig and find that I think I have learned as much virtually as I would have live. Because I have no personal feelings one way or the other, I asked my daughter for her opinion and will support that side as if it were my own. She would choose virtual dissection over live dissection. There are many websites that offer photos, videos and step by step walk through of various types of animal dissections. Everything from earthworms to sheep brains to cockroaches to star fish. Because nearly every classroom in America has access to a computer, video equipment and overhead projectors, dissections can be shown multiple times in multiple ways to masses of students. Countless animals need not die to support our science classrooms anymore!

As for myself, I believe a compromise is in order. I don't feel that forcing a student to preform a live dissection just because that is the way it has always been done is necessary. Students in distress will have a harder time concentrating on what they are supposed to be learning, and may disrupt other students by complaining about the unfairness of the whole dissection. Classes can be polled to find out how students feel before dissection begins. One or two students (or the teacher) could proform dissections. As the live dissection is taking place, the students could be videoed with a live feed going to a TV in the classroom. This way the students who wanted to get down and dirty could, while the more squeamish students could abstain while still learning. Completely virtual dissections could be offered as a way to save money, time, resources and personal heartache on the part of the unhappy student. Again either of these options could be used by medical students training for a specialty, unless they are studying to be surgeons or pathologist. For those two specialties, live dissection should be no problem!

http://humaneeducationteacher.org/dissection2.html

http://biologyjunction.com/animal%20dissections.htm

www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artaug05/wdparasite3.html