Back in 1980s..
Medical College
As usual while going to Physiology Lab, I am filled with uncomfortable feeling.
I detest the Physiology experiments so much !
I hate the way we are taught the working of a human body.
And the method of teaching is by doing experiments on poor frogs!
And that also on living "specimens" !
There is a feeling of revulsion inside. But have to bear it.
Innocent animals being killed alive and stripped off of their skin and then dissected....
Just to make us see how a muscle, nerve etc would react to a certain stimulus.
Every day it is happening and my heart goes out to these animals who can't protect themselves.
I feel very happy when an odd "specimen" slips from a student's hand and starts limping away, still alive, because the student didn't use proper force in hitting and stunning the animal.
The lab assistant scolds the "clumsy" student who is himself /herself scared.
I always requested my table mate to do this "honour"
Few times she got fed up and I had to handle the specimen myself ( With a heavy heart of course)
There was a lab assistant, a veteran of such experiments having spent most part of his life in this lab. He was the real boss around, with his personality, expertise and a sense of humor.
Once he was demonstrating the he stripping off of the skin of the animal. And he used his favorite line (to make the whole stuffy atmosphere light), " Now we will remove the Salwar (trousers) of the frog" (he was referring to the legs part of the animal)
Dark humor of course. But it prompted a few nervous smiles from the students.
Then the moment he pulled the skin apart in one go, there was a loud thud in the group.
The girl standing beside me had fallen down due to shock.
Every one stepped aside and some helped her getting up. We thought she would leave the class but she was a studious girl, didn't want to miss any lecture or class :)
I have wondered at the futility of animal experiments. Why can't they just demonstrate in a group?
What use is it to make silly graphs on the rotating cylinders?
The only thing that I hated....
after of course the alien biochemistry formulas and energy cycles ! (another horrible thing :))
Medical College
As usual while going to Physiology Lab, I am filled with uncomfortable feeling.
I detest the Physiology experiments so much !
I hate the way we are taught the working of a human body.
And the method of teaching is by doing experiments on poor frogs!
And that also on living "specimens" !
There is a feeling of revulsion inside. But have to bear it.
Innocent animals being killed alive and stripped off of their skin and then dissected....
Just to make us see how a muscle, nerve etc would react to a certain stimulus.
Every day it is happening and my heart goes out to these animals who can't protect themselves.
I feel very happy when an odd "specimen" slips from a student's hand and starts limping away, still alive, because the student didn't use proper force in hitting and stunning the animal.
The lab assistant scolds the "clumsy" student who is himself /herself scared.
I always requested my table mate to do this "honour"
Few times she got fed up and I had to handle the specimen myself ( With a heavy heart of course)
There was a lab assistant, a veteran of such experiments having spent most part of his life in this lab. He was the real boss around, with his personality, expertise and a sense of humor.
Once he was demonstrating the he stripping off of the skin of the animal. And he used his favorite line (to make the whole stuffy atmosphere light), " Now we will remove the Salwar (trousers) of the frog" (he was referring to the legs part of the animal)
Dark humor of course. But it prompted a few nervous smiles from the students.
Then the moment he pulled the skin apart in one go, there was a loud thud in the group.
The girl standing beside me had fallen down due to shock.
Every one stepped aside and some helped her getting up. We thought she would leave the class but she was a studious girl, didn't want to miss any lecture or class :)
I have wondered at the futility of animal experiments. Why can't they just demonstrate in a group?
What use is it to make silly graphs on the rotating cylinders?
The only thing that I hated....
after of course the alien biochemistry formulas and energy cycles ! (another horrible thing :))
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