The faint scent of formalin wafted through the air in room 334 as students in Human Anatomy and Physiology class began their nearly month-long cat dissections.

The cat dissections, along with other dissections including those of rats and various organs, have been an integral part of the course since its creation in 2001. The cat dissection is the longest dissection, taking almost a month to complete.

“I firmly believe that unless you actually touch and feel and experience, you do not learn as well,” said Science Department Chair Anita Chetty, who teaches the class. “You can look at photographs, you can go ahead and look at models, you can look at things that are created by other people based on other people’s experiences, or you can experience it yourself.”

In this experiment, students dissect the cat layer by layer, carefully examining and learning about each body structure. Because the cat has many structures homologous to those of humans, students can observe the muscular similarities in order to better understand the human body. Before beginning the dissections, Chetty stresses to students that extreme care and respect must be paid to the process and the specimen itself.

Once the process of dissecting is over, the cats are transported to a special landfill where they are buried. Because students remove very little from the cat, the specimens are buried whole to ensure respect to the animals after death. Chetty obtains the specimens from a company that provides schools with cats that were euthanized after not being adopted from humane shelters.

“Even though that means that we get cats that are probably a little less muscular, and who maybe haven’t eaten as well, it doesn’t matter, and I discuss that with the students,” Chetty said.

The experience also introduces students interested in medicine to the environment that a medical course in college might hold.

“Part of being a medical student is working with physical people. [The dissections] open up students to the more psychological aspect of [medicine] because you can actually see [the cat’s] faces,” Indica Sur (12) said.

For Pooja Shah (12), the dissection is an aspect of the course that excites her as she learns in a more tactile manner that encourages information retention.

“I’m really enjoying [the dissection process] because it allows us to apply our classroom knowledge, going from the book to the cat, and being able to identify the muscles is really rewarding,” Pooja Shah (12) said.

The dissection process is preparing students for their field trip to the Stanford Museum, where they will explore human anatomy through a modern lens.