Anatomical Collection and Production

Anatomical Collection 

Specimens are of major importance in teaching anatomy; they show the three-dimensional properties and the construction of the body and organs. Our anatomical collection contains specimens, skeletons, models and visual material like photos and video. 

The majority of the specimens comes from animal species most relevant to the veterinarian. We have for example many specimens of large and small ruminants, pigs and chickens. The amount of specimens of dogs, cats and horses is even higher, and they reveal in some cases many details.

For more zoological and comparative morphological orientated teaching, like the module Organism in Biomedical Sciences and several selectives in the curriculum of Veterinary Medicine, specimens have been made of a wide range of animal species. They vary between mouse and elephant, and between shark, via turtle and guinea pig, to ostrich.

Dissection lab

In the dissection lab, specimens for the anatomical teaching are being made and stored. We use the following techniques for preservation:

Dissections: these are animals, of which parts are exposed by dissection. These specimens are kept in a preservation fluid.
Skeletons: the bones and the skull of an animal are cleaned by maceration, in which muscles and tendons are removed. The bleached and dried bones are mounted to complete skeletons.
Casts: casts of hollow spaces and vascular systems are made with synthetic fluids. These casts can be used to study the three-dimensional structure of vascular, respiratory and urinary systems.
Plastinates: in the plastination lab a dissection is impregnated with silicones. This allows us to store this type of specimens in a dry environment.