David K. Farkas - A Gross Story about a Frog

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November 18th, 2004

11:47 pm

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A Gross Story about a Frog
I was dissecting a frog in Biology 102, and I had no enthusiasm for the task. Following my T.A’s instructions, I stuck a needle into the frog’s brain to “pith” it—which basically means to kill it—but my frog was a toughie and wouldn’t die. The T.A., clearly irritated, came over to my table and pithed the frog for me. Again following instructions, I turned the frog on its back, stretched it out, and pushed a pin through each arm and leg and into the thick layer of wax on the metal dissection pan. The frog was now sort of crucified on the metal pan—so far so good.

Along with the rest of the students, I made my first incision and began the dissection. I had the intestines mostly out and was looking for the gall bladder when the frog awoke. Apparently, the T.A. hadn’t done much better than me with the pithing.

The frog pulled one arm free from the wax, then the other, and then each leg. Probably I should have intervened at this point. Then, he flipped himself over onto the lab table. Because of the pins, the frog was “on stilts,” but he made reasonable progress hopping across the table with his intestines trailing after him.

Everyone was staring at this awful sight. The T.A., now seriously annoyed, grabbed hold of my frog, dropped him in the large ceramic pail where all of the dissected frogs were destined to go, and he replaced the lid. I sat down to work with another student, but I found out later that I'd gotten an F for the lab. Ultimately, I flunked Biology 102.

My frog, however, WAS a toughie, and for an hour we all heard the resonant ping of the four pins as he threw himself against the wall of the pail.

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Comments

From:	mr_flippant
Date:	November 23rd, 2004 08:17 pm (UTC)

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Maybe it will all be virtual some day.

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From:	david_k_farkas
Date:	November 24th, 2004 04:41 pm (UTC)

Virtual frogs

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Yes, virtual frogs! No stinky formaldehyde, and we can let the real frogs hop around in the wood like their supposed to. -- DF

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From:	(Anonymous)
Date:	July 7th, 2005 04:10 am (UTC)

Pithing Analyzed

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Please read:

http://www.frogsite.org/Anti_Pithing.html

For a SERIOUS and objective treatment of pithing and dissection of frogs.

The article concludes that the best paths, when also considering the ethical implications of pithing a helpless frog, are to use a model frog that can be disassembled and reassembled, or dissect a virtual frog using software (such as http://www.froguts.com).

Sincerely,

Mikael Lyngvig

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From:	david_k_farkas
Date:	July 7th, 2005 05:22 am (UTC)

Re: Pithing Analyzed

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Yes, Mikael, I like frogs and don't like to see them pithed or hurt in any other way--especially by college freshmen who didn't even have much interest in the insides of the frogs. Model or digital frogs would be much better.

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From:	(Anonymous)
Date:	October 17th, 2005 06:31 am (UTC)

Re: Pithing Analyzed

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I don't think its actually CRIMINAL or INTRINSICALLY EVIL to pith a frog (which has been drugged to sleep or not); but this activity is of such manner that only serious science students, not college freshman or high school students, should perform the activity. We can excuse the last fifty years for not utilizing technology they didn't have, I'm sure many (but not all!!) students did benefit from dissection! Today, for all but science majors, we ought to use NetFrog and Her Offspring.
We shouldn't go overboard with ethical legislation on similar issues either!!

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From:	david_k_farkas
Date:	October 17th, 2005 07:53 am (UTC)

Re: Pithing Analyzed

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Sounds reasonable to me. -- DF

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