It's for Science, Really...Officer

Day of the Dead

Must have been the upcoming Day of the Dead exhibit that got me thinking of the time I was in possession of a complete human skeleton. I'm not talking about a plastic replica. No, an actual HUMAN skeleton. Anatomy is a course all medical students must take. We were tested on all the muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and organs in the human body. Of course, we needed to study the bones as well. Memorize where muscles and ligaments made their attachments. Memorize where the cranial nerves entered and existed in the human skull. What are the different bones that make up the eyeball socket? As a result, every med student was given their own skeleton to take home as a study guide. It came in an ordinary black rectangular box but the skull had its own black square box. The skull was rather delicate, so we were warned to be extra cautious with it. If we broke it, we would have to pay for it. Someone once dropped it and the skull shattered into pieces.

I wasn't really freaked out by it and remember it was briefly in the trunk of my car. Then, I thought I better get it out of the car. What if I get stopped and the police officer inspects my car? How would I explain the skeleton in my car? It is for school; I'm a medical student, officer. Would the cop believe me? Well, luckily I was never in that situation. So the two black boxes stayed in my apartment in their designated area by the door until the anatomy course came to an end. Then they were returned to their original home - the Anatomy Department. I, at last, stopped smelling like formaldehyde on certain days of the week.