This piece, titled PSOM Anatomy Lesson, is a recreation of Rembrandt’s classic 1632 painting The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. In my version, the cadaver, doctor, and audience are each depicted as the character from the game Operation. Though our anatomy classes are far more ethical than what was practiced in 17th century Amsterdam, I still faced challenges processing my emotions during lab. I wanted to illustrate the feelings of detachment and dissociation that I often experienced while dissecting. In order to complete the learning objectives in lab each day, I almost had to turn the dissection into a game–how well could I identify this nerve or find the next fascial plane? The cadaver thus has a red nose and object-shaped holes in his body as in the game Operation. I also decided to add red noses to the instructor and students to reinforce the concept that though I may have attempted to distance myself from the cadaver’s humanity, the cadavers were still as human as I am.
Mary Svirydava is an MS1 at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Image also by Mary Svirydava.
