Zoology Blog: Structure and Function of Animals

“I’m against animal experiments in general”

I don’t think dissection is gross because I don’t think animals are gross. I just think it’s too bad for the animal. | more

“A highlight of my studies”

When you get to see the theory from the lectures hands-on right away, then there’s often a “wow” effect. | more

10 January 2018 - Amphibians

It was about: The beating heart of the cannibals

Then there was a real moment for videos: the beating heart. | more

“In real life, everything looks different”

The 2-dimensional pictures in the books become a 3-dimensional image in your mind. | more

“Just grateful I got the chance”

For the rest of my life I will remember the first session where the earthworm lay on the table in front of us and we were supposed to dissect it. | more

“All things considered, I don’t have any ethical or moral concerns”

I think it’s strange how people all of a sudden don’t want to touch an earthworm or a mussel. | more

17 January 2018 - Chicks

It was about: Day 11 - When I took on poultry and stayed down to earth

Even though I was only an observer, I had problems with my scruples and the pathetic sight of the little creature in front of me. | more

“I don’t get all the commotion about this course”

Personally I don’t think the course is questionable - it’s necessary. | more

“I tried to do justice to the animal”

Dissecting the chick was difficult for me today. | more

“I think it’s unnecessary to sacrifice so many animals”

I think it would be enough if a few student assistants did the dissection while everyone else watched. | more

24 January 2018 - Mouse

It was about: Of naked prototypes and old mammals

The last day of the dissection course. I, at least, am satisfied and happy that I was in it and got to learn a lot. | more

“I think it’s important and good that the University offers this course”

At the beginning of the course, my first thought was: “Oh no, the poor animals!” But then I kept thinking that when you study medicine you cut up human bodies. | more

“But I did have some difficulty with the mouse today”

I think this kind of course makes sense. In the lecture we learned everything theoretically, but it’s still far, far away from any practical application. | more

“At the beginning I was very critical of the course”

But even during the first session we talked through everything and learned that we would use only a few individual animals, treat them respectfully, and most of them were not killed just for the course. | more

“I think it’s [...] helpful to be able to look into a real animal myself”

It should be obvious that in most cases, if you’re studying biology then you’re going to have a dissection course. But I can understand it if someone decides they don’t want to cut open the animals. | more

“I thought the course was really interesting and helpful”

I used to imagine an experience like this. I always wanted to see what an animal looks like on the inside. | more

“I think it’s important and good that the University offers this course”

I think that this kind of course and the content (the inside of animals) should definitely be included in the curriculum. | more

It was about: Fishy business

At the end of the hour, we didn’t only look at our trout’s brain, we also looked at the heart, spleen, and the liver with the gallbladder. | more

“I had mixed feelings, but generally I was fascinated”

But I didn’t want to put on gloves because I wanted to be able to really touch and feel everything. I didn’t want to miss anything. | more

“You get to know the animal [...] a lot better than just a colored plastic model”

Of course it takes some effort at first to cut open and dissect an animal, but for me personally, the valuable experiences I get by doing this are more important. | more

It was about: No reason to take things into your own hands

My second foray into Biology went just as easily as the first: The threadworms were first cleanly prepared by someone else, and there was no reason for me to touch it myself. | more

“You don’t just cut up the animal”

I definitely think this course is very interest and think it enriches not only my studies but also my life. | more

“It’s not as bad as I feared”

At first I also thought it would be disgusting to cut into the animals... | more

“As long as I can eat animals, I can cut them open and look at them”

Still, I think that for illustrative purposes it’s better to work with a real animal since you can cut open the skin yourself or move things aside with tweezers to look at the intestinal tract, for example. | more

“Now [...] I’m even excited about getting to know a new animal with new characteristics”

Even before we had our first contact with the animals, the lecturer told us about the way the animals were killed. That got rid of a lot of the worries that I and others had. | more

“for a living thing, it’s [not really healthy] to cut open other living things”

I prefer the permanent specimens since I think it’s disgusting to kill another living being just so I can dissect it. | more

6 December 2017 - Roaches and Common Shore Crabs

It was about: Chitin instead of shells

Nothing is dissected beforehand, you’re supposed to do everything yourself so you can experience it. | more

It was about: Crustaceans - no problem

I’m familiar with shellfish, and everyone has touched a crab or a shrimp before. So this lesson wasn’t a challenge. | more

“It did take some effort to make the first cut at the beginning”

That is why I think that it’s important to work with real animals so you can get an impression of what the animals’ structure is like in reality. | more

“I’m still not sure whether the course makes sense”

I knew that dissection was part of Biology when I decided to study the subject. But still, even at the beginning I felt torn... | more

“The course helps with studying Biology”

I really like the course “Structure and Function of Animals” because it helps to deepen the knowledge gained in the Zoology lectures. | more

20 December 2017 - Trout

The contributions include the personal and individual opinions of students and supervisors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the University of Hohenheim.

From paramecia to mice: In the Bachelor’s programs in Biology and Agricultural Biology, a dissection course is compulsory. The University of Hohenheim has repeatedly reviewed the extent to which using animals in teaching is necessary and continually decreased the number of animals used.

Still, the University Management, scientists, and supervisors have always come to the conclusion that the use of animals cannot be completely eliminated.

In this blog, each week course participants give insights into the course contents and their thoughts and feelings.

Zoology Blog 2017/18

25 October 2017 - Earthworm

It was about: What’s wiggling there?

Reporter Corinna Schmid observed the course and took minutes. | more

“I was afraid that I would be very uncomfortable.”

I was fascinated when I saw the inside of a living being for the first time, and I wanted to use what I had just learned in the lecture. | more

“It makes a difference whether you see something in a picture or directly in a living being.”

For the degree program Biology, it is important to know and understand what animals look like on the inside. I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to cut open dead animals for this purpose. | more

“I don’t see it as something negative.”

It was exactly what I expected: Looking at the inside of an animal. | more

“Going into the first session, I had mixed feelings.”

“On the one hand was disgust at having to cut open a dead animal (...). On the other hand, I was interested in finding out whether I could learn new things that way. | more

“With dissection, you experience the structure of the animal with all your senses.”

It was definitely strange to fix a dead earthworm with pins and make the first cut. But what then appeared was incredible. | more

8 November 2017 - Mussels

“For a second I asked myself: Did it hurt?”

With respect for the fact that this animal lived, it was well treated and if what is learned is valued, I can have a clean conscience attending this course. | more

“I was a little tense about what awaited me and what it would be like.”

It’s different to be able to see and identify the body parts on your own with a real object than to just learn about them in the form of text, graphics, and pictures. | more

“I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to cut open dead animals.”

Before the first session of “Structure and Function of Animals,” I thought dissection was gross and I was rather skeptical. | more

“My reluctance to touch this (mussel) with my hands was [...] less than last time.”

I have to admit I was somewhat relieved that this time we “only” got mussels since I found the earthworm last time interesting but also a little bit gross. | more

“This kind of course is part of studying Biology.”

We study Biology, and the huge area of anatomy is part of that. | more

“I definitely found the course ethically acceptable.”

On the one hand I was interested in getting a chance to have a close look at the inside of the animals. On the other hand, I felt a little bit of disgust and was also afraid of making mistakes. | more

“The class is now the highlight of my university week”

Being able to dissect the earthworm, our first animal, and look at it in detail, was really interesting and not at all comparable to looking at a textbook. | more

15 November 2017 - Flatworms

It was about: Parasites

Trainee Dorothee observed the course and took minutes. | more

“[...] finally something hands-on!”

It wasn’t until the course instructor justified himself that it dawned on me that some people had reservations about dissecting animals. | more

“I, for one, would also really like to take part in an autopsy sometime.”

As future biologists, we have to learn how internal organ systems are structured and how they work. | more

“It definitely takes an effort to overcome the reluctance to cut into a dead animal.”

I understand that some people are critical about the course “Structure and Function of Animals” and even refuse to dissect a dead animal. | more

“I consciously chose this degree program.”

If you study Biology and then have a problem with it, then I think you are in the wrong field. | more

“I was looking forward to the dissection from the first day of class.”

I think the course Structure and Function of Animals is an enrichment to my program because it helps me to understand how the various animal organisms function. | more

29 November 2017 - Nematodes

The Experimental Animals

The earthworms are taken from a feed store for fishing equipment and killed before the course.

The mussels are breeding mussels from food production.

The Argentinian wood cockroaches are ones typically used for animal feed. They are killed before the course starts.

The shore crabs come from the Biology Institute Helgoland, a part of the Alfred Wegener Institute foundation.  They are delivered preserved in alcohol. The Biology Institute does not deliver any species that are threatened or on the red list.
For information: Shore crabs are considered an invasive, that is, foreign species that spread rapidly and endanger the local ecosystem in many places.

The rainbow trout come from a fish trader and are bred there exclusively for food. They are also already dead upon delivery.

The African clawed frogs come from the university’s laboratory breeding program. For the course, old or sick animals are chosen.

The already dead male chicks come from a laying hen breeding facility.

The gerbils come from the university’s laboratory breeding program. For the course, old or sick animals are chosen and euthanized.