Piglet Dissection Workshop at ConQEST 2012

Every year at the end of June we get to go to ConQEST and we always have a ball.

Trade display at ConQEST 2012 — The Dissection Connection trade display at ConQEST 2012

This year we ran two workshops – a head dissection and a piglet dissection. One of the workshoppers, a lab tech from Emerald, took some great photos of the piglet dissection and has been kind enough to let me share them here.

Step 1 – peg out the beastie on a tray using rubber bands around each foot. Heather from Southern Biological showed me how to do this.

Displaying the specimen using rubber bands — Piglet dissection: a rubber band around each foot and looped behind the dissection tray will hold the piglet still for dissection

Step 2 – make a mid-sagittal incision in the skin

Start with a mid-sagittal incision — Piglet dissection: making the mid-sagittal incision

Step 3 – separate the skin from the muscle using a scalpel

Piglet dissection: Exposing the muscles under the skin — Piglet dissection: once the skin has been peeled back the muscles are exposed for examination

Piglet dissection: exposed tarsals — Piglet dissection: the tarsals exposed

Step 4 – locate the diaphragm and identify the organs of the thoracic cavity

Piglet dissection: examining the organs in the thoracic cavity — Piglet dissection: examining the heart in the thoracic cavity

Piglet dissection: the trachea — Piglet dissection: an incision can be made in the trachea and the lungs can be inflated with a syringe

Step 5 – identify the organs of the abdominal cavity

Piglet dissection: organs of the abdominal cavity — Piglet dissection: the liver and intestine inside the abdominal cavity

Piglet dissection: kidney exposed in the abdominal cavity — Piglet dissection: intestine removed and kidney exposed

Piglet dissection: examining the length of the small intestine — Piglet dissection: the small intestine removed and stretched out to demonstrate its length

So, there you have it. A good time was had by all and then we went to lunch – which is always fabulous at ConQEST. See you there ‘in the flesh’ next year.

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