Area college installs virtual cadaver for biology classes

DEARBORN (AP) — A Detroit-area college will use a virtual cadaver to teach students how to perform human dissections.

The biology department at Henry Ford College in Dearborn will use an Anatomage Table as part of its curriculum for the winter 2018 semester.

The school says the software for the virtual dissection system delivers a high level of image detail not present in plastic anatomical models and sometimes even actual cadavers, since organs and tissues can become too degraded for dissection.

The life-sized virtual cadaver can be switched from male to female. Users can zoom in on areas of interest and use their finger to slice through any combination of muscle and bone.

Biology faculty chair Carla Serfas says actual cadavers pose challenges that include regulations, recurring costs and ethical issues for students.