Dissection done. Err, hungry anyone?

If didn’t know already as part of your training on most medical courses, you will eventually come across some sort of dissection whether it is purely observation or actual participation. Despite all you’ve learnt you’re suddenly hit with the realisation with how fragile life really is. The image of a person, who was once full of energy, is now lying on a cold steel bench, the uninviting lab environment, the smells – you never forget your first time.

During research projects, I’ve stuck to a more clinical route in my research and so I’ve been assisting and actually carrying out dissections on my own a lot more. This may sound a little weird, but the more I do those procedures, the more comfortable I feel. I think eventually you learn to detach yourself from what you’re doing and just focus on the pure pathology. I learnt a lot from those experiences both personally and professionally. Currently my work is stressing me out a little – last night I dreamt that my tissue blocks for a particular study started talking to me. I need a time out, lol! Ooh something my friends and fellow colleagues recently learnt – latex gloves are not so suitable for handling preservation fluids. The fluid seeps through causing the various smells to linger for a long time on your hands. Thank god for nitrile gloves – much better option.

However there was one thing that disturbed me a little. Ok a lot. Quite often after completing a dissection, I would get extremely hungry. Gross right?! You’d think that doing a procedure like that would put me off eating for life, but it was the complete opposite. There I would be sitting at the table, eating my lunch as if it was completely normal. In actual fact, I felt terrible after every dissection! I’d often wonder what the hell was wrong with me, lol.

It was only till very recently, that one of supervisors explained that this was completely normal! I know what you are thinking, but it makes perfects sense. The preservatives used (usually neutral buffered formalin) contain appetite stimulants, thus the sudden hunger pangs. Who knew? Well… obviously my supervisor, duh! But at least now I don’t feel so bad and can go back to enjoying my meals without feeling incredibly guilty! Phew!