A Marquette University class gives people from all walks of life a groundbreaking look at the human brain.
Within your brain, there are small pathways used by neurons to communicate with one another. The best way to see those up close is through blunt dissection. Blunt dissection involves slowly pulling back the layers of the human brain to reveal the complex pathways inside.
“It brings that into sharper focus, so there’s a sense of knowing where it should be and then there’s a sense of actually visualizing it and putting your hands on it,” said William Cullinan, the Dean of Marquette College of Health Sciences. “That’s the key: understanding the three-dimensionality of the organization of these pathways that are deep in the brain.”
A three-day class at Marquette allowed almost 100 people the chance to blunt dissect a brain. Emily Elfreich, a nurse practitioner, flew in all the way from Florida.
“Medical training for medical doctors, they have this opportunity, but nurse practitioners do not. That’s why this is extremely important for my job and my learning,” said Elfreich.
Cullinan says the purpose of this class, now in its 22nd year, is to give people a new look at the brain.
“Whether this helps them in their research, whether it helps them in their teaching, whether it helps them in their clinical practice, the key is to be able to mentally reconstruct what you’re teaching or what you’re explaining to a patient,” said Cullinan.
Students leave with a better understanding of how the brain works and a great amount of respect for organ donors. Marquette obtains the organs for the class through a partnership with a local anatomical gifts registry.
“We don’t take this casually. This is really an amazing opportunity,” said Cullinan.
Blunt dissection was formally included in some med school curriculum, but the staff at Marquette says it’s been largely phased out because of how long it takes. That’s why this class is unique – it’s one of the only classes available in the United States.
The class is not just limited to doctors, though. Lawyers, teachers, and anybody who works with the brain or mental health can take the class – not just medical professionals.
