Disecting a Fetal Pig - Lab report

The procedure consisted of external anatomy. We were asked to exam several characteristics of the unborn pig which includes: determining the age of the fetus by measuring the body length from its snout to the rump, examine the amount of hair on body, examine the lips, nostrils, ears, eyes, feet, chest, stomach, nipples and sexual organs. The procedure also consisted of internal anatomy which includes the oral cavity, digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory system and urogenital system.

The purpose of the fetal pig dissection was to understand the scientific process of dissection and gain hands-on experience of the internal and external anatomy of the fetal pig. In addition to this, the fetal pig dissection helps students better interpret the relative position and sizes of organs, as well relation between organ and organ system.

In my human anatomy teaching laboratories, the animal dissection experience generally emphasizes the isolation and

To observe the anatomy and physiology of the fetal pig through dissection, the procedures for Labs 22-26 of the Biology 1107 Principles of Biology Laboratory Manual, 2017 were followed directly. This includes all materials and steps included (Lombard, Terry, Malinoski, 2017, Pages

The fetal pig dissection was helpful for one to understand the body and all of the body’s functions. The procedures helped the students precisely do the dissection correctly. The questions that were assigned helped the students have a deeper understanding of the pig’s body. This dissection also helped the students become familiar with some of the organs in the body like the liver, heart, and intestines. All in all, this dissection was helpful in learning all about the body.

My hypothesis was correct in addressing how similar the fetal pig and human anatomy are, and how it helps to learn more about a human. One way in which the fetal pig is particularly similar to a human is its lungs. The fetal pig’s lungs are almost identical to that of a human. They exchange oxygen for CO2, are located in the same place, and are also multi-lobed. Another similarity is the pig’s pericardium. The pericardium is a clear membrane that surrounds the heart, it is composed of an outer fibrous layer and an inner double layer of serous membrane. Its main purpose is the give the heart protection against infection and bacteria, and it provides lubrication as well. Every human has their heart surrounded by this, and so does a fetal pig. When dissecting, the dissector must make a light incision and remove the pericardium so the heart can be accessed. Although there are many similarities between the fetal pig and a human, there are also differences. The first difference resides in the liver. A normal human liver has four lobes: right, left, caudate, and quadrate. While a normal pig liver has five lobes: right lateral, right central, left central, left lateral, and caudate. Another main difference is that a fetal pig’s colon is a spiral shape. A human’s colon is shaped in a sigmoidal pattern instead (“Human/Pig Comparisons”, 2004, September, goshen.edu).

Throughout the course of anatomy and physiology, my partner Lena Mitchell and I dissected a fetal pig today. The systems seen in the dissection were, the integumentary system, the respiratory system, the digestive system, the nervous system, the urinary system, the cardiovascular system and the male reproductive system. Also, I will go over the functions of the systems and the organs. I will talk about how it was dissecting the pig. Also, about what organs we took out, such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidney, small and large intestines, bladder, stomach, tongue, brain, eyeballs, and the reproductive organs.

After the 16-day lab, we have seen that many of the piglets decompose completely and some less than others. Our group believed

Initially when seeing the fetal pigs, I was completely disgusted and figured I could not even look at them in the sink, let alone look at them when they are dissected. As my group pinned down the fetal pig and tied it’s limbs out of the way, I began to get more comfortable with the fact. As the dissection progressed, through observing the mouth and the thoracic cavity on the first day and the abdominal cavity on the second day, I became less grossed out. Observing the organs was interesting and I felt like it was a useful representation of what human organs are like, since it would not be ethical to use an actual human to dissect. I learned the difficulties that surgeons have to endure when performing a surgery. I can only imagine the high-pressure

Over the course of twenty-eight days, our criminal justice class performed an experiment that contained stillborn and natural death piglets. Thirteen piglets were put into certain scenarios such as: piglets hung in the air with and without clothes, on cement with and without clothes, in the grass with and without clothes, buried underneath dirt with and without clothes, burned with a torch, knife wound, bullet wound, and buried in a box with and without clothes. Over the course of this month, our group recorded on a daily basis the differences that occurred. To our amazement, we were able to find startling evidence as to how these piglets decomposed and the science matters behind it.

The gallbladder is a small organ that is located on the underside of the liver. Its primary purpose is bile storage. The liver is the one of the organs that makes a bile, and a bile is a substance that helps the body break down fats. The gallbladder then stores the extra bile that the liver makes, releasing it when he/she eats a meal with fats that need to be digested. Normal digestion can be possible without a gallbladder.

A comparison of decomposition patterns in human bodies versus pig bodies and the reliability of pig taphonomic facilities.

All of the seventh grade kids at JEBMS are excited to dissect animals. I used to be one of them until I found out the facts. Dissection isn't a good thing millions of animals are sold to do these dissections. Dissections are mainly used for the study of anatomy. Different animals are used, some are grown just for this purpose, others are taken right off the streets. There are different alternatives.

The next steps have already been taken by Professor Juan Carlos. They human pig chimera experiments began in 2015 in Spain and California. The research was funded by the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia in Spain and the Moxie Foundation. Per the article, Juan Carlos, professor in gene expression laboratories “To date, most of our experiments have been conducted in California and Spain—under the supervision of local and national regulatory agencies”. The pig-human chimera has only been allowed to grow for four weeks after which it is sacrificed to abide by the guidelines with regulatory authorities which make the researchers eliminate both the surrogates (sow being impregnated) and embryos.

“For procedures, refer to Lab 6, Activity 2, in the Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manual.”