The Study of Human Anatomy on a Pre-Prosected Cadaver

The Study of Human Anatomy on a Pre-Prosected Cadaver

At the college sophomore level, many Human Anatomy courses
incorporate prosected cadaver specimens for the study of internal body
structures. Since most sophomore anatomy students have not been trained to
prosect a cadaver and because of the expense, security and safety issues
related to maintaining cadaver specimens, it may not be practical to base an
anatomy course solely on cadaver specimens. Therefore, cadavers are used
general in addition to- not in place of- non-human animal specimens such as the
cat.

When the student studies body structures on a cadaver, generally, a
systematic approach is taken where the student will study muscles, then organs,
the blood vessels, then nerves separately. It is important that the student be
allowed to gently manipulate body structures such as muscles to observe deeper
structures. However, the student should be closely monitored. This section
describes the benefits and methods used to study each organ system using
cadaver specimens.

Surface anatomy and observation of supportive layers is another
important and interesting topic of study with human cadavers. Since the skin
and other supportive layers has been removed from most prosected cadavers,
study of these structures is not covered here. See the section on supportive
layers for more information.

Muscles

When the anatomy student is studying muscles the following information is
important for each muscle:

 The location
 The principle action
 The origin and insertion
 The shape and direction (is the muscle arranged along the longitudinal

midline axis of the body or supporting body structure, is it transverse or
oblique?)
 How the muscle is attached (Does the muscle originate on the lateral
aspect and insert on the medial aspect? Is the muscle attached to bone or
a soft body part)

To study these factors on a cadaver, students will need to handle each
muscle and perhaps gently pull on it to observe its action and attachment sites.
Superficial muscles may have to be gently moved aside (if they weren’t bisected)
to observe deeper muscles. It is also useful to step back and look at the
arrangement of muscles of each body region in general to consider the possible
movements in that region.

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Internal Organs (Viscera)

When studying internal organs (viscera) there are many important factors
to consider about each organ:

 The specific body cavity and location
 The size, shape, and orientation (such as the left, inferior tilt of the heart)
 Other associated organs (consider the liver, gall bladder, stomach and

pancreas)
 Associated blood vessels and nerves
 Associated ligaments and mesenteries
 Sectional features

Before an anatomy student studies the internal viscera, some of the
organs (such as the heart and lungs) may have been removed so that deeper
structures (blood vessels and nerves) may also be studied. In addition, the
organ may have be opened or sectioned so that internal structures (such as
heart valves) may be studied. In these instances, the anatomy student may have
to take a moment to put the organ back into its original location to understand the
location and the impact other organs may have on its integrity (consider the
thoracic cavity and the crowding of the heart and lungs). Each organ will have to
be manipulated to observe any blood vessels, nerves or duct system that might
be associated with it.

Blood Vessels

Students will recognize arteries from veins by the color, but not pink vs
blue. Arteries will appear white because of the thickness or their walls and veins
a dark blue because blood is visible through their thin walls. The study of blood
vessels involves the ability to follow the blood vessel from the heart (arteries) or
to the heart (veins). Students must carefully handle the vessel to observe “what
is draining into it and what it is draining into”. Arteries are studied as branches
from the aorta (except pulmonary arteries). Veins are studied as tributaries to
the vena cavae (except pulmonary and cardiac veins). Hepatic portal vessels
are traced from the organs that they drain (stomach, intestines, spleen,
pancreas) to the liver. The fat from mesenteries is often cleared away to see
many of the abdominal vessels.

Nerves

It is very difficult to observe the origin (motor) or insertion (sensory) of a
nerve relative to the central nervous system unless a craniotomy and vertebral
column delamination is done to remove the brain and spinal cord. This allows
viewing of the passage of cranial nerves relative to the brain and spinal nerves
into and out of the spinal cord. Otherwise, anatomy students often observe
nerves relative to their peripheral targets (or origins if sensory). Nerves are
observed as fibrous white strands of various thicknesses and may be single

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fibers or extensively branched. Nerves, like other structures, must be gently
pulled or manipulated to observe their pathway. Four areas of extensive
branching and remerging of spinal nerves are the major plexuses in the cervical,
brachial, lumbar and sacral (pelvic) regions. The most accessible nerve plexus is
in the brachial region.

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