University of Rhode Island purchases synthetic cadavers

In class today, students at the University Rhode Island used synthetic cadavers for the first time. The school recently purchased four synthetic cadavers, which look and feel like real human bodies. They have to be stored inside of water-filled, coffin-like cases to stay looking fresh. Water storage helps maintain the realistic feel of the cadavers’ internal organs. URI is one of the only colleges in New England to own these cadavers, and is the only university to own more than one. That’s because these are expensive, usually costing almost $50,000 each. “The eyes are closed, the mouth is open, the mouth is ridiculously realistic.  The teeth, the tongue, a lot of those structures are very weird looking so a lot of the students have described them as creepy,” said Aura Grandidge, the manager of URI’s undergraduate biology labs. The labs previously used plastic body parts to teach human anatomy. Grandidge says that the plastic body parts can be boring for students, but the new cadavers allow undergrads to learn about the whole body, similar to the way that medical students do. Though some students say the cadavers are creepy, Grandidge says overall the new cadavers are positive, making experiences in the lab more engaging and realistic. Faculty members at the university are currently creating curricula that will incorporate the cadavers. They will be used in freshman anatomy and two other upper-level courses.