AR-News: (NY - US) A second look at the biology lab

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VIRTUAL ANATOMY: Marcus Ross and Ehad Berishe check out a virtual lesson on 
frog dissection at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. 
MARY ALTAFFER/AP



A second look at the biology lab

By April Austin | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor 

A single whiff of formaldehyde transports many adults back to biology class 
and dissection. It's hard to forget the odor that arose from trays of rubbery, 
preserved frogs or fetal pigs. But that rite of passage is now being 
challenged by students who find dissection objectionable on animal-rights grounds.

The issue came up recently on the prime-time television show "8 Simple 
Rules." The character Kerry, one of the two daughters, becomes concerned about frog 
dissection in her school and organizes a sit-in to protest the practice.

As animal-rights groups have stepped up their campaign to stop the use of 
animals for research, the message is being heeded by some students in middle and 
high school.

It's a controversy that pits animal rights against traditional methods of 
teaching science and anatomy.

"There's no substitute for dissection," says Wayne Carley, executive director 
of the National Association of Biology Teachers. He insists the move against 
dissection comes more from squeamish students being manipulated by radical 
animal-rights groups than from a groundswell of concern for animal welfare. "High 
school kids are easy targets," he says.

Still, the NABT supports the idea that "teachers should consider how their 
students would react [to dissection]," says Mr. Carley. "We support the wise use 
of animals, and that could mean a reduction in the number of specimen animals 
used."

About 6 million animals are dissected each year in US schools, according to 
the Humane Society of the United States. These include frogs, fetal pigs, and 
cats. The cats come from shelters that would have euthanized the animals, 
Carley says, or the animals are procured by dealers in the US or Mexico.

But today, the quest is on to find credible alternatives to dissection at all 
levels - from high school and college classrooms to research labs and 
veterinary schools. This means some type of computer simulation, such as can be found 
on websites such as www.froguts.com. Because the technology is still being 
refined, the programs for the most part aren't sophisticated. Some life-sciences 
teachers, including Jessica Crosby of Pollard Middle School in Needham, 
Mass., use virtual- dissection programs to prepare students for the real thing.

In April, before the unit on frog dissection, Ms. Crosby gave each of her 90 
students a confidential survey that asked how hands-on they wanted to be 
during the procedure. This year, she says, although some were apprehensive at 
first, every student participated. "I saw how engaged the kids were. They were so 
proud that they could identify the organs," she says.

Nine states have laws or policies that allow students to opt out of 
dissection, according to the Humane Society of the United States, and several more are 
contemplating such measures.

But the issue goes deeper, says Andrew Rowan, chief of staff for animal 
research at the Humane Society. "It's much easier to get students' attention by 
dropping a dead animal in front of them," he says. "But when students are forced 
to do dissection, they're turned off. The lesson, which is in part to get them 
interested in science, has exactly the opposite effect."

Crosby says dissection offers an unmatched opportunity to see how each 
anatomical system is part of the whole. "I wouldn't force a student to do it if it 
violated their beliefs," she adds.

A March survey by the National Science Teachers Association showed that 80 
percent of its members think dissection activities are important to science 
learning, with 76 percent including dissection of animal specimens in their 
lessons. Of the teachers who said they've decreased the frequency of dissection in 
class, the biggest reason cited was the expense of specimens, not pressure from 
students or outside groups.

Concern for animals in the larger society has trickled down to high school 
students, says Rowan. "As a society, we now think differently about hunting, 
about how well pets are treated, about cosmetics testing, and the rights of 
animals," he says. "But biology classes are still doing the same things they've 
always done. Biology should be a study of life, not death."

Crosby says her students seemed better able to recall the material after the 
dissection. "The virtual dissection is still on a screen," she says. "You're 
not really doing it."






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