Lessons a Severed Head and a UPS Delivery Guy Taught me About Life.

Gross Anatomy was perhaps the coolest class I took in dental school. Once you get over the fact that you are cutting a dead person open and digging around in their organs, it is pretty cool. I learned an important lesson toward the end of my first year. By this time, our class was pretty comfortable with the concept of death, leathery skin, and the smell of formaldehyde. We had even named our corpses....mine was called Mary.

Late one afternoon, a couple of us stayed after class to study the cranial nerves on our own. We had decapitated the head from the body, and were dissecting the spinal cord from the muscles of the back. I was tracing the cranial nerves down the neck, but couldn't find the vagus or phrenic nerves. I asked the other students who were studying their own bodies, but they could not find the nerves either.

Frustrated, I suggested we get help from the physical therapy students down the hall since they already studied the nerves. I thought this was an excellent idea, but they acted funny. They asked why I would 'lower myself to get help from a PT student.' I replied that I didn't mind. They knew more than we did on the subject, and since we didn't have a lot of time I felt we should get help wherever we could.

Exasperated, I picked up Mary's head and walked to the physical therapy lab. I'm sure I made quite a sight holding a decapitated head ...the spinal cord dangling around my knees. However, the trip was worth it. The physical therapy students were happy to share their knowledge. I was thankful as they took precious time from their own studying to help me. I learned more information with them in those few minutes than I had all semester with my instructor and lab book.

As I walked back to my lab to return Mary's head to her body, a voice behind me asked if I knew where Room 3023 was. I swung around and saw a UPS man carrying three packages. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes bugged out of his head. He stumbled a few steps back, dropped the boxes, turned, and ran down the corridor!
I think he saw more than he barginned for on this particular delivery. I will never forget the look on his face. I am sure the image of me holding a severed head will be etched in his memory forever.
I returned Mary's head to her body and excitedly announced that I knew where the nerves were. My classmates acted uninterested. They said they would find them on their own. This irritated me so I took my gloves off and washed my hands.

It was their loss. They felt they were above help from some 'lowly' physical therapy students. Personally, I believe it behooves you to accept help wherever you can get it, in whatever form it comes. Those physical therapy students saved me hours of searching for the tiny nerves. I had the information I needed, and I was now ready for the exam. I was thankful for their help. I was looking forward to going home early.

Before I left though, I figured I should help out the UPS man! I picked up the packages off the floor and delivered them to Room 3023. I figured it was the least I could do...to help him out.