Shouldn students who plan to pursue a higher education in science or medicine learn to dissect before attending college?
The American Medical Association does not recommend that students need dissection as part of their curriculum for medical school education. Additionally, many of the most prestigious medical schools such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford no longer use live animals to teach future doctors. Instead, they use modern technology and human cadavers, which are the most applicable way to learn human anatomy. Many veterinary schools such as Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and Western Health Sciences University College of Veterinary Medicine have found ways to incorporate compassionate and respectful ways to obtain cadavers for anatomy lessons and teach surgical skills without terminating the animals’ lives. They have developed Educational Memorial Programs (EMPs) www.educationalmemorial.org in their hospitals in which clients can donate their deceased companion animal from whom students will learn. Students can develop an understanding of anatomy, their manual and cognitive skills,
