Those with female cadavers should perform pelvic exam before bisecting your cadaver. Ask your
instructor(s) for help. (Those
with male cadavers should obviously find a neighboring group with a female cadaver.)
Now saw through the pubic symphysis in the midline and
continue your saw-cut posteriorly
through the sacrum to the disk between L4/L5 or L3/L4. These planes are shown
on the skeleton. You may push the rectum
and anal canal off to one side if it is filled excessively with feces.
Otherwise, bisect it as well and clean it out with wet paper towels. Observe the anal
columns and the important pectineal zone.
NOTE: This may be the only chance you will have to see the
internal structure of the rectum first hand and you will see worse!.
Remove one of the lower extremities
by cutting through the soft tissue on one side. Midline structures
such as the penis should also be
bisected. HINT: Inserting your fine probe into the penile urethra will help guide
your midline cut.
