Greetings to all: It occurred to me that some of you might have students
interested in participating in extracurricular anatomy study. Through my
think-tank/educational outreach (Equine Studies Institute), we offer
five-day intensive sessions in both dog and horse anatomy. We don't
advertise -- almost all of our enrollment is via word-of-mouth --
therefore not too many people know that these classes are available. Our
schedule tends to be somewhat irregular because offering a class depends
upon the availability of a specimen (all of ours are donated). Carcasses
are fresh-frozen and not embalmed or salt-cured, so tissue quality is not
altered and there are no toxic chemicals.

Students who have enrolled in the past are often from schools that do not
offer a hands-on dissection lab -- and paradoxically, this is frequently
the case where students are required to take such a class in order to get
their diploma or certificate! Our idea some thirty years ago was to fill
this gap, and we've offered at least one session most years since.

Classes are five-day intensives held Thursday-Monday or Wednesday-Sunday
in order to accommodate adults who have to take time away from their
regular job or studies in order to attend.

Content is designed to be accessible to anyone, and there are no
prerequisites -- don't let this fool you, though; the class is packed to
the gills with content, and we keep students pretty busy during the week
they'll spend with us. The emphasis is on body architecture and integrated
functioning/biomechanics, so therefore the musculoskeletal system is most
studied. However, all body systems are surveyed.

The daily schedule consists of 4 hours of lecture followed by 4 to 6 hours
of lab time. The cost is moderate, and we provide extensive study guides
on paper and on CD-Rom. We're glad to work with any school in terms of
paperwork so that the student can get credit for attending the class.

Let me add that over the years, we have also had a number of licensed
veterinarians, medical doctors, and practicing physical therapists enroll
-- they come sometimes to get a little brush-up, it having been years in
some cases since their last anatomy lab; and in every case, for the
intellectual stimulation. Many veterinarians have in fact never had a
class in biomechanics.

Anyone interested may go for more information to
www.equinestudies.org/forum -- we have two classes currently enrolling and
will shortly have a third -- see the announcements/descriptions at the top
of the Forum home page. Please note the dog class is coming right up
(first week in December of THIS year), and we'd love to be able to fill
it. I will not permit a specimen to be thawed out/the class to actually
happen, unless we have at least eight enrolees. Maximum class size is 20.

Please let interested students know about this -- we think it's a unique
and valuable opportunity. Thanks very much -- Deb Bennett, Director,
Equine Studies Institute