Notes From the Cadaver Lab
In September, 2021, I attended a three-day cadaver dissection course at the Institute for Anatomical Research in Colorado Springs, CO. It was the third time I have had this incredible opportunity, but this time I got to work with an un-fixed donor/teacher. The work was slower going and a bit more tedious than dissecting a donor who had been essentially cooked with formaldehyde. The reward, though, was that I really got a sense of how fluid we are. We always hear that we are 70% water, but it is hard to comprehend. When I got my hands into the viscera and saw the luminosity of the organs, the iridescence of the nerves and connective tissues, the soft pores of the bones and the fleshy flesh, I really understood what that meant for the first time.
Because of my udana vayu imbalance, I focused mainly on the jaw, neck and cranium. Layer by layer I began to uncover SCM, masseter, temporal mandibular juncture, zygomatic arch, temporalis muscle, galea apneurotica; and I learned about the trigeminal nerve. We only had three days so I did not get much deeper into the neck or to the inner ear. However, I did get to saw off the top of the cranium! Literally mind blowing. It took about 30-40 minutes with someone bracing the mandible and top of head. I used a hand saw and had to work carefully so as not to cut through the dura. I did in a few places, but it was still intact enough to hold the cerebrum in place when the skull cap was removed. Talk about fluid, luminous, and iridescent, yet so strong. When we removed the dura, the cerebrum fell into a bowl like pudding. The tentorium was revealed. After seeing drawings and pictures and detailed descriptions, I finally understand this diaphragm now that I have had a chance to touch it and see it with my own eyes.
The one place in the human body I feel I could stare at for hours was also revealed: the optical chasm guarding the pituitary gland. I had seen this before in the fixed teachers. In the unfixed body, which was by day three thawing and softening, this sacred site was so delicate, intricate and ancient and established. That evening as I drove home through Colorado and crossed the border into New Mexico the sunset was equally as stunning. I could hardly believe how fortunate we are to be alive in this magical time.