I washed a dead man's intestines.

It was our second day in anatomy class and as usual the mortuary attendants and lecturer were doing their best to make us puke. They handled the formalin preserved corpses with their bare hands and them went to eat coke and egg-roll in a corner while they watched us. Two girls had already fainted and another kept on vomiting uncontrollably outside.

Some of us brought latex gloves from home but the attendants refused for us to use them. They said it would make us less afraid if we touched them with our bare hands. They reassured us that the corpses were well preserved and formalin was easily washed off. Even though the smell had a tendency to remain with you for days.

The guys were braving up as guys tend to do even though some were screaming inside. It got to the point where we needed to measure the small intestine. It was my turn to handle the knife that day. As usual we greeted all the corpses and took consent of what we were about to do. Then I made a cut through the stomach, through the skin and subcutaneous tissue, through the muscles and peritoneal layer, peeling each layer back and tagging it correctly as I went deeper until I entered the abdominal cavity.

"Take a look ladies and gentlemen!" the attendant said with a smile on his face. "You'll never see such a cooperative intestine again, unless of course you become a pathologist. "


We all looked into the dark hole of the abdomen. The intestines twined about like lucid snakes, asleep until judgement day. There was some feces still remaining in the large intestine, making it bulge out. It looked green and disgusting.

"Okay, whose going to harvest this thing and measure it? "

We all looked at each other. We had agreed previously and secretly that whoever held the knife that day would do all the gory stuff. I looked the attendant full in the eye and said I'll do it. He nodded in admiration.


I cut the intestines from the oesophagus to the junction where the small intestine turns to the large intestine. I separated it from its attachment to the gut. I carried the intestines out with my bare hands and went to the sink to wash it out. It reminded me of my washing of goat intestines at Xmas time. Same thing really, except that the goat intestine was fresher. I washed off all the stuff inside and brought it back to the table. Straightened it out and measured it.

Six meters.

"Good job!" the attendant remarked and turned to one the vomiting girl. "Oya go and feel it and describe to me...

And she fainted on the spot.

My hand smelled of intestine for days.

So?

You tried

Eww

What those attendants made you guys do is quite unhygenic and dangerous to your health.

Why can't Nigerians just ever go through the easier route!

Oyindidi:
So?

What?

jdstunt:
You tried

Well, thanks.

orangb:
Eww

What those attendants made you guys do is quite unhygenic and dangerous to your health.

Why can't Nigerians just ever go through the easier route!

Who knows.

They deliberately try to make everything more difficult than it actually is.

Prognose:


Who knows.

They deliberately try to make everything more difficult than it actually is.

Abi now...

God knows I can't ever do such; I get irritated easily and the memory lingers and tortures me for days.

The most disgusting thing I ever did was wash my hair after I fell headlong in muddywater containing phlegm, toothpaste and every other disgusting thing that comes out of people's mouths.

I wished I could cut my head off that day!

Oh forkit! Sheet! Lordylordy!

sisisioge:
Oh forkit! Sheet! Lordylordy!

Come on, it's not that bad...

Op, please, make me understand this your statement; 'you greeted the corpses and after taken consent' As in - greeted corpse and take consent from them?

prettyangel10:
Op, please, make me understand this your statement; 'you greeted the corpses and after taken consent' As in - greeted corpse and take consent from them?

Good question.
I'm interested in knowing if this is a medical procedure or just borne out of superstition.

missjo:

Good question.
I'm interested in knowing if this is a medical procedure or just borne out of superstition.

Well, I've heard similar stuff like that, - but I want to confirm from d Op, if what I heard is just superstition.

prettyangel10:
Op, please, make me understand this your statement; 'you greeted the corpses and after taken consent' As in - greeted corpse and take consent from them?

Yes we take consent from the dead bodies. After a formal introduction of course

missjo:

Good question.
I'm interested in knowing if this is a medical procedure or just borne out of superstition.

Whether medical procedure or superstition, courtesy demands that you greet someone, dead or alive, before taking the liberty of hacking him to pieces.

The morticians ensured we did so anyway, whether to teach us practical bedside courtesy or whether out of superstition I don't really know. I suspect one or two dead bodies have haunted them in the past and made them more cautious.

Prognose:


Whether medical procedure or superstition, courtesy demands that you greet someone, dead or alive, before taking the liberty of hacking him to pieces.

The morticians ensured we did so anyway, whether to teach us practical bedside courtesy or whether out of superstition I don't really know. I suspect one or two dead bodies have haunted them in the past and made them more cautious.

Hahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahaha

missjo:

Hahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahaha

Prognose:

you really tried..... .

anygoodies for your isoko girlie?

The girl that fainted even tried sef.

I would have fainted at the gate

Na wa o. Doctors really try