: ''For the Swedish blackened death metal band, see
Dissection (band)''

Dissected rat showing major organs.
'Dissection' is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the function and relationships of its components. It may refer also to some spontaneous natural process of dissasembly as in
aortic dissection.
In biology
Dissection is usually applied to the examination of plants and animals. The term is also used in relation to mechanisms, computer programs, written materials, etc., as a synonym for terms such as
reverse engineering or
literary deconstruction. Dissection is usually performed by students in courses of
biology,
botany and
anatomy and in association with
medical and
arts studies.
Vivisection refers to the dissection of a living animal, often for the purposes of
physiological investigation. However, in modern parlance the term is often used by
animal rights activists to refer to any type of
experimentation in which animals are injured, with or without actual dissection.
Dissection is often performed as a part of determining a cause of death in
autopsy (on humans) and
necropsy (on animals) and is an intrinsic part of
forensic medicine, such as would be practiced by a
coroner.
The first public human dissection was conducted by
Ján Jesenský (
1566-
1621), the
Slovak physician, surgeon, anatomist and the
rector of a
Charles University in
Prague in
1600.
High school students stereotypically dissect frogs or fetal pigs in science class, but the trend in the
US is towards allowing students to opt out of dissection activities.
Tools of Dissection
The following are tools commonly used in biological dissection.
Scalpel
Scissors
Thumb
Forceps or Fine point splinter
Mall probe and seeker
Surgical
Spatula
Magnifying glass
Chain & Hooks (surgical)
Razor
Blow Pipe (surgical)
Prong (surgical)
Teasing needles
Pipet or Medicine dropper
Ruler or
caliper
T
pins
External links
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How to dissect a frog
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Dissection Alternatives
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Human Dissections
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Virtual Frog Dissection
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Alternatives To Animal Dissection in School Science Classes