By Lawson Vaughan

On October 26, I and 18 other Anatomy I students traveled to Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Medical Education Campus to see their Cadaver Lab. When choosing to take Anatomy I as a science elective last spring, I had no clue that I would even be given the opportunity to go on this trip. When Upper School science teacher Dave Privasky first announced the trip in the early weeks of class, I was eager to go. Biology has always been one of my favorite subjects, and last year I knew I wanted to continue learning about the human body, and that’s why I chose to take Anatomy I. The main focus of Anatomy I is to acquire an understanding of human muscles and bones. In the few weeks leading up to the trip, my class had finished a unit on the skeletal system and moved on to learning more about muscles. 

This year’s cadaver trip attendees and chaperones.

The trip started with an early wake-up to get on the bus that would take us up to northern Virginia. Once we arrived, I was nervous, and the feelings of uncertainty from my classmates were palpable. We first went into a classroom where we talked about the expectations of the Cadaver Lab and waited for our instructor, Associate Professor Allison Tomson, to greet us and take us to the lab. In the lab, we would be examining the muscles, bones, and organs of the cadaver in front of us.

Once in the room with the cadaver, I felt my nerves kick in. Harper Hailes (’24) said that when she walked in the room, her initial reaction was, “There is actually a dead body in front of me.” She said it felt overwhelming. The room was smaller than I imagined, and when we walked in, the cadaver was on a rectangular table in front of us. We put on latex gloves and stood in an oval around the table. The smell of formaldehyde filled our noses, and the towel covering the cadaver was removed. 

Once the lab continued, my nervousness dissipated, but I was very aware of my surroundings the entire time. The cadaver helped enhance my understanding of the human body; being able to see real muscles, organs, and bones made me curious. During the first part of the lab, we studied the muscles in the abdomen and their layout in the human body. Tomson pointed out the layout of the muscles and how to stretch each muscle effectively. She had us do a few stretches during the lab also. Tomson moved then removed the rib cage, so we could feel and study the organs. 

Tour of EMT Room.

Studying the organs was my favorite part of the experience, because we were able to hold and take a closer look at each. Our cadaver was a small older woman, so most of her organs were smaller than a regular person. The cause of death had been ruled inconclusive, but our instructor thought it was related to neurological issues.

When holding the heart, we were able to open it up and see the different valves and chambers because it was cut in half.  We also were able to see separate organ samples, not from the body, such as a smoker’s lungs and a heart that had endured a heart attack. The smoker’s lungs gave me a better perspective of how smoking really affects the lungs, and how the lungs fill up with tar. The heart that had endured a heart attack had a larger valve entrance in the artery because of the damage the heart attack had caused. Being able to hold and explore the organs was fascinating, and most organs are way heavier than you think.

Privasky, who has done this trip for six years, believes this trip is beneficial for high school students because when he studied cadavers in college, it was meaningful for him. When reflecting on his favorite part about the trip, he finds when he “sees everything come together, from the minute you witness removing the rib cage and then you see all the organs, and see how they’re interconnected, and you can pull it out piece by piece, and see how it fits together… it’s really the collective approach.” 

The nurses’ area at NOVA.

Privasky said that during the lab he was on “hyper alert,” as sometimes seeing a cadaver can be a challenging experience for students. During the lab, he often is making sure everyone is okay and not feeling queasy, and if they are, he helps them exit the room. During the lab, I felt somewhat uneasy at times but was able to stay in and continue. Hailes (24’) said that she had to step out because, “when she saw the heart and the organs shriveled up, it freaked me out, and I got light-headed.”

Over the years Privasky has brought students to the Cadaver Lab, he has found that the organ study has been the most impactful for students. Privasky finds that the most difficult organs to study are the intestines. During our lab, this definitely was the case, because after the intestines were shown, many students needed to leave the room.

After the lab, we toured the Medical Campus and got to see how the students study there. We were able to see the nursing room with medical dummies and fake blood in the phlebotomy lab. The tour was one of my favorite parts, because we got to see all the different sectors of medicine we can go into. I really enjoyed this experience, because it gave me a perspective of what science fields I may want to pursue in the future.

All photos by Dave Privasky.