Rhetoric in the Flesh by T. Kenny Fountain: The anatomy student and human cadaver

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

15-Sep-2014

Contact: Susan Griffith susan.griffith@case.edu 216-368-1004 Case Western Reserve University @casenews

Students in the gross anatomy lab stand with trepidation before their human cadavers, uneasy about making that first cut, writes T. Kenny Fountain in his new book, Rhetoric in the Flesh: Trained Vision, Technical Expertise, and the Gross Anatomy Lab (Routledge, 2014).

The associate professor of English at Case Western Reserve University explains in his ethnographic study of education in the anatomy lab how the experience is part of the transformation of students into medical professionals.

To overcome the students' unease, the professor and a bequest staff member, who works with the donors that gave their bodies, explain the donation process and stress the unique opportunity to explore the physical bodies in front of them.

Early on, students hear two messages: the cadaver is a gift to their medical training; and the act of dissection is a unique way to learn human anatomy.

Students are encouraged to accept the cadavers as both anatomical objects and former human beings, Fountain said.

And with the anatomical gift comes a social and cultural obligation to reciprocate. In this case, students are encouraged to respect the cadavers and take advantage of the dissection opportunity to learn as much as possible.

Students will eventually return the gift as health care professionals who use that knowledge to understand and treat the bodies of their patients.

Read this article:
Rhetoric in the Flesh by T. Kenny Fountain: The anatomy student and human cadaver