Ask HN: How do you not feel weirded out when studying human anatomy?

I am generally uneasy with all kinds of anatomy illustrations, sections and slices. I associate them with something painful (such as surgeries and various diseases). They also remind me about body impermanence and imperfection. E.g. a single blood clot stuck in some unfortunate place can lead to severe disability or death. Or, a brain needs just 5 minutes without oxygen supply to have irreparable damage. And so on.

That being said, I am slowly overcoming this aversion and anxiety by studying biology in general: cytology, genetics, biochemistry, and related fields of science. I'm fascinated by intricate complexities of a cell, and amazed by wonders of what is possible by combining various atoms in various configurations.

This sense of wonder gradually permeates my overall attitude towards organs and tissues. For example, instead of seeing a liver as an unsettling meaty blob, I perceive it as a complex mechanism which is constantly working to keep me alive and safe from poisons and toxins. Looking at a drop of blood, I can think about red cells, leukocytes and thrombocytes instead of associating blood with pain and body damage.

In other words, I'm starting to view cells and organs as something that truly deserves some kind of glory and admiration. There is an easily perceived kind of beauty in flowers, animals, or mountains. And another, hidden kind of beauty in cells, organs, bodies. It needs some work to be uncovered and become accessible.

The way I see it, you have two routes:

- Accept reality and the fact that this is a crude subject. Use psychological tools to feel less weird over time (ie get a lot of exposure to the stuff that you find unsettling). You might succeed, or you might have to accept that this career is not for you.

- Create your own story about the body parts you need to work with. The guy at the kebab shop doesn't think of a lovely cute lamb having a happy life when going to work. He just sees delicious pieces of meat glued together in a nice roll that people love to eat. Could you do the same? Ie if you need to open a leg in surgery, you don't need to think of a person. That's just a leg, you could amputate it and there's still a person left.

I'm not religious and I do believe we humans are glorified pieces of meat. I'm fine with that but still feel unsettled by some bodily stuff.

For example, I have leukemia and I have to go through bone marrow biopsies. I kindly ask the nurses NOT to show me the gigantic piercing devices and I avoid learning how the process works in detail. As far as I'm concerned, a bone marrow biopsy is a small pinch (anesthesia), followed by some discomfort and cold sweating for 10-15 mins. I distract my mind and think about something else (ceiling of the room, the view, my own breathe, etc).

Deep inside, I know they stick something all the way to my hip bones and extract liquid inside, but I refuse to let that reality disrupt my peace of mind. If I start thinking about the process in detail I wouldn't be as comfortable as I am when doing one of those.

I got used to it. It’s just after a lot of exposure I stopped being bothered. It just becomes very matter of fact. Occasionally I see things that blow my mind, but not in a bad way. More so just fascination. And, there are a couple of surgeries that still make me squeamish such as eye surgery, and also surgery on fingers and toes. I can watch open heart surgery, and be completely unfazed, and I can see mangled human bodies that have been severely damaged in motor vehicle accidents, and not get caught up in the horror of it, but rather just focus on the fact that in front of me lays a body, and therefore a person who needs help, and I can put my emotions to one side, and focus on the actual job of helping to fix it, in the hopes of reducing suffering and improving quality of life.

But also, I think our bodies are special despite how they may come across in an anatomy textbook. And for all the empirical scientific evidence in the world, no one can tell you what actually is consciousness, or where it comes from - that’s pretty special in my own personal opinion.

Overall, I think your feelings are a normal part of the process, and you will either get used to it, or maybe realise it’s just not the right career path for you.

I think you have a dismissive attitude towards meat. There is more elegance and complexity in a single cell than anything man has made with our own hands.