Human cadavers are used as a primary teaching tool in our anatomy courses. The faculty of the Program in Human Anatomy Education subscribes to the long held belief that to fully understand anatomy in all of it’s three dimensional complexity it is necessary to study real human anatomic specimens. There are three ways that human tissues are prepared for study of anatomy and each has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages.
- Unpreserved tissues. The use of unpreserved tissue in anatomy education has the advantage of demonstrating the texture and feel of tissues that more closely approximates what would be encountered in the living person. This method of preparation suffers from the disadvantages that it can only be used for a very short period of time, the soft tissue structures often do not retain normal three dimensional structure and these tissues must be handled with the precautions associated with possibility of blood born pathogens.
- Embalmed tissues. Embalming is a process whereby the tissue of the body are impregnated with chemical compounds that crosslink the protein components of the tissue for long term preservation. Most of our teaching in the anatomy lab is carried out with tissues preserved through embalming. Embalming has the distinct advantages that the tissues maintain their three dimensional structure after the fixation (embalming) process, they can be stored and used long term (months) at room temperature, and the tissues are essentially sterile. The disadvantage is that the tissue properties are altered by the fixation process and become more rigid than normal.
- Plastinated tissues. Plastination is a fixation method whereby the water within the tissue is replaced by a resin compound (plastic, acrylic or other) that can be cross linked for permanent preservation. Plastinated anatomy specimens have the advantage that they are essentially odorless and can be handled safely with bare hands. Thus, study of plastinated tissues requires no special lab environment or safety equipment (such as gloves and aprons). The specimens are also stable indefinitely. The disadvantage is that the plastination process alters the tissue characteristics even more than classic embalming, making them more rigid. Plastination requires special lab facilities and processing, which have been recently established in our labs. Follow this link for a complete description of the plastination process.
Dr. Weinhaus’ current research involves a varied number of projects in Gross Anatomy. This includes the production of plastinated teaching specimens. After attending the bi-annual plastination workshop hosted by the International Society for Plastination held in Macedonia in 2005, his laboratory has been active in the production of plastinated specimens for teaching. He is currently involved in establishing a service organization that can supply plastinated anatomical specimens to public or private institutions for use in teaching and research.
Find out more about the plastination process here
Contact us: weinh001@umn.edu |
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