'CORPORA' Brings Human Anatomy to Life among School Students at CMC Vellore

In a unique effort that combines classroom education and hands-on experience, the Department of Anatomy, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, organized a five-day learning exhibition CORPORA—'body' in Latin—to introduce higher secondary school students to the wonder of human anatomy.

Organized from August 18 to 22 at Bagayam campus of CMC, the exhibition provides biology students with a close glimpse of actual human body parts that leads to curiosity and awareness regarding the human body and health. The event was inaugurated on Monday by Chandrasekaran of Udhavum Ullangal, a Chennai-based Non-Governmental Organization engaged in education and health activities.

Unlike textbook diagrams, CORPORA brings anatomy to life using more than 100 specimens and bones preserved and supplemented with lucid accompanying explanations in Tamil and English. The exhibits are designed to the state syllabus for biology so that they are more relevant to higher secondary students aspiring to study medicine or allied health.

CMC anatomy faculty members are guiding the students around the exhibits, providing information, answering questions, and studying human physiology and medical science more intensely. For most of the students, particularly rural and government school students, this is their very first hands-on experience with real anatomical specimens.

But CORPORA doesn't stop at organs and bones. There are interactive workshops on nutrition, lifestyle disorders, dangers of smoking, personal health, and organ donation in the event, too. The workshops are designed to spark healthy habits and interest in health science careers.

"This exhibition is not an anatomy show, plain and simple—it's about encouraging the healthcare professionals of the future," said one of the faculty members who is working on the event.

With an increasing amount of education conducted online, programs such as CORPORA remind us of the irreplaceable nature of learning in real life—particularly learning about the complex human body.