Anatomy exam 1 was touted to be the most difficult exam of the course, and it came with a great deal of stress. In just 2 weeks we covered all the bones, muscles, nerves, arteries and major veins and ligaments of the back, some of the neck, shoulders, arms, hips and legs. We spent much of those 2 weeks tracing nerves and arteries from their major outlets in the shoulders and hips down to their endpoints in the toes and fingers as they dove in and out of the surrounding musculature. I was starting to enjoy the class as the language became more familiar to me, but the sheer volume quickly made the class a stressful sprint through musculoskeletal system.

Now, on the downhill slope into thoracic and head and neck anatomy, I feel like I can slow down and enjoy what we are learning. We removed a large piece of the ribcage and began dissections of the lungs and heart yesterday. Not only is the material more interesting, but there is so much variation between the different bodies. It's like we are really starting to get to know our new "friends" as we learn more about their bodies. My group's cadaver seems to have had a quadruple bypass surgery, while a cadaver nearby had an extremely enlarged heart. Also, our cadaver's lungs were pink and soft, while another was riddled with white, lumpy tumors. It's definitely a privilege to get to know someone in this unique way!

For now, I am sighing a major sigh of relief for passing the first behemoth of an exam, and I am excited to take this trip through the thoracic cavity. We'll see if Bernie is has any more interesting anatomy to teach us!