OMG! Can you imagine the horror of seeing the autopsy of one of your fellow students?

[Joe Turner]

School tours canceled after students view autopsy



Published: 12/8/08, 8:46 AM EDT

:unsure:

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) - A medical examiner's office in Michigan has canceled public school tours after a high school group watched the autopsy of a 14-year-old girl from their district.



The Detroit News reports Monday that Oakland County officials decided to stop the tours in Pontiac after they were contacted by the girl's parents, who were very upset about the March tour.



Mike Zehnder, the county's director of public services, says it was "a poor decision" to let the tour go on.



The newspaper reports the teacher who brought in the Waterford Kettering High School group was told the autopsy would be of a Waterford middle school student and discussed that with students.

 

[Martin]

That could have a long lasting affect on the students that knew the girl.

 

[Frank Marano]

What school district in their right mind would bring a group of students that age to a med exam's office anyway??

 

[Richard Gosdin]

I'm with fmarano on this one - bad idea from the beginning regardless of the student knowing the one being examined.

 

[ray moyer]

i agree... no hs student needs to see an autopsy... that should be a private matter anyway in my opinion, between the examiner and the family...

 

[Thomas Rogers]

I totally disagree with the notion that high school students, especially seniors, should not view an autopsy.



If done correctly, such a viewing can be an excellent learning experience, especially for those students taking AP courses in biology, and whom might want to go on to a pre-med college education.



In this particular case the choice of the cadeaver was a poor one and should not have been made out of respect for the parents of the dead middle school child, and for any student on the trip that might have known the dead girl and her family.



TJR

 

[Mike Dziubina]

i agree completely with TJR...right on man...all points are correct.



i started my volunteer EMT career as a junior in high school and saw some F'up S***. i wasn't even a senior. i know everyone is different, but they can see the reality of things. a high school senior should be mature enough. i even had to presume my friend dead after i was the first responder to a hanging. if done correctly it is a great experience. it's why i am currently studying medicine in college.



sounds like the students and teacher knew about the body. they knew so why did they agree to it then?



before i started cadaver lab we even had to watch a movie where a student who knew he was dying purposely donated his body to his class so they could learn from him.

 

[Ray McIntireJr]

I agree that juniors or seniors should be able to veiw an autopsy, but middle school kids, that is pushing it.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Thanks, Mike.



I was an early responder to a MVA. Car hit by feed truck, person trapped in car and car engulfed in flames. By the time I got there the flames were out and we started extricating. I was 20 at the time, home from college during the summer. The person in the car was a classmate of mine from highschool (small class of 13 students).



Spent 30 minutes with him as they tried to keep him alive, burned so bad they couldn't even get trauma pants on him as they waited for medivac.



It was a bad thing to go through, nothing like viewing an autopsy, but it is real life. I learned a lot from that days events too.



My friend died on the way to the hospital.



TJR

 

[Les]

Being allowed to view an autopsy should only be allowed if the next-of-kin permits it...

 

[Shaun Tucker]

oof.. those are some heavy stories for a monday morning guys.

you do what a lot of people can't and we all owe you thanks for that.



I agree with you on all points here too TJR. It is important for students to see this process, especially if they are interested in pursuing a career in medicine. The choice of cadaver at during this particular field trip was very poorly thought out.

 

[Frank Marano]

Ok, I do agree if it was a small, focused group of teens with a possible future in medicine or bio it would be fine but the article said it was a "public school tour". To me that sounds like " Hey kids, guess where we are going next week....and bring a bagged lunch so after you eat, you can vomit in the brown bag"

 

[Keola P]

What were these people thinking!? At that age, kids should be watching autopsies of frogs or or other animals if anything. Questionable as to why they chose a local person at such a young age for the autopsy though...poor judgement and inappropriate IMO.



For my anatomy and physiology class in college we disected baby pigs. It wasn't till the last leg of EMT class that we were able to see the internals and practice intubating on a cadaver. None of those cadavers were kids...all middle to senior aged folks who donated their bodies to science.

 

[TomT]

Hey a field trip is a field trip. At least it got them out of class.

 

[Alan Peters]

I live 10 minutes from this. Let me tell you no surprise! The way the districts and counties are run, can say I say it coming!