Pig Dissection!

On the 27th and 28th of April, a pig dissection was done in SBI 4U1-03. Each lab group received a pig.

The "before" of the pig.

After cutting open the pig, we first isolated the liver. The liver produces bile (a substance that breaks down fats), stores glucose as glycogen, cleanse drugs of toxins, and stores iron.

The liver is the largest organ in the pig.

The next isolation was the stomach. It looked like a little sac, and inside contained dark particles that looked like pellets. This is likely to be a substance called meconium, which is made up of the things the infant ingested while in the uterus (eg. epithelial cells, bile, amniotic fluid). The stomach is the organ that holds the bolus (food) that an organism eats. In the stomach, the food is churned with acid to break it down.

Stomach

Contents of the stomach : meconium

 The pancreas is a lumpy, leafy-looking organ that produces insulin and glucagon. As well, it secretes digestive juices that help further break down food in the small intestines.

Pancreas

 Below are a pair of kidneys. Kidneys are bean-shaped organs that filters out toxins from blood, absorbs nutrients for blood, and make urine.

Kidneys

Another organ that comes in pairs. Our pig was female, therefore, it was necessary to isolate the ovaries. The ovaries are what contain the eggs of a female. These eggs have half the DNA of a regular cell and, with a sperm cell, can form a zygote.

Ovaries

The spleen is a long, thin, organ that filters blood, which helps the immune system recognize dangerous antibodies.

Spleen

After the kidneys make urine, it is stored inside the bladder. The bladder is a sac that leads to the urethra, where the urine is excreted.

Bladder (looks like it has feet!)

The heart is made of strong cardiac muscle that circulates blood throughout the body. This organ is what makes sure that all parts of the body can get what it needs (eg. oxygen, glucose) as well as can get rid of what it doesn't need (eg. carbon dioxide, waste)

Heart

Lungs bring in what every mammal needs to survive, oxygen. Not only that, it also gets rid of what could be toxic to our bodies if its concentration gets too high, carbon dioxide. This is also a body part that comes in pairs. Lungs are filled with tiny little sacs that increase surface area to get maximum oxygen.

Lungs

Eyes are sensory organs that allow us to see. Light rays enter the eye lens and the information is interpreted in the brain.

Eyeball

Eye lens (left), gallbladder (right)

The gallbladder is a small organ that holds the bile (produced by the liver) until it is needed.

Lastly, the arguably most important organ, the brain. The brain was hard to isolate, due to its delicateness, and therefore took the most time. The brain is the control centre for the entire body. It processes information, and relays an appropriate response to it. The brain controls all our conscious thoughts and all our unconscious thoughts.

Brain (there wasn't enough time for an isolation)

After two days of dissection, our pig looked like this:

Aftermass of dissection