Thanks silly rabbit!

Today was a day that seventh grade me would have hated. But 30-year-old science maniac me woke up excited.

Today we dissected rabbits in my Anatomy & Physiology class.

It was smelly, weird, intriguing, surprising (livers are enormous and glandular tissue is pebbly), and wonderful.

My lab partner and I had a good rabbit -- it took the dye well so most of its anatomy was pretty clear. With my diminutive sense of smell and obsessive interest in medicine I was keen to check everything out. We identified all the elements of the cardiovascular, digestive, urinary and respiratory systems. We saw how everything fit together, how the large and small parts are, and how interconnected all the pieces are.

When people in my class were grossed out or being too gentle with the rabbits, I stepped in. "Find the spleen!" I encouraged. "Go ahead, check out the nervous system." The rabbits weren't there to be coddled - we were learning.

If I could, I'd tell my seventh grade self how much I learned today. And how words, diagrams and charts can't tell the story that this rabbit told me today.

I'm proud to say that my grandparents gave their bodies to science. This excellent article that my dad sent me chronicles how important and respected these donations are for medical students.

Thanks rabbit.