Dissecting a frog in science class may soon go virtual

NEW DELHI: Dissecting frogs, a staple exercise in a zoology course, will soon be off the table with digital alternatives being developed.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written to heads of institutions, which receive financial assistance from it, asking them to use virtual or digital methods for dissection.

The body had issued guidelines to universities in 2011 that asked them to do away with the practice of a physical dissection, in a phased manner.

UGC’s latest letter, sent on Thursday, has requested officials to stick to the norms and inform them about the phase-out progress.

Many web-based applications, which simulate a dissection, have been developed for students. UGC has also suggested the use of plastinated dissected specimen – where a specimen is dissected and preserved to show the anatomy and physiology of any system.

However, scientists and professors say dissection is important for students to understand the anatomy of animals.

“We follow all protocols and the guidelines set by monitoring panles . We also have an animals ethics committee and breed animals in captivity. Teaching students using digital interface is not the same as it does not provide the same details as an animal does,” said Neeta Sehgal, head of the zoology department at Delhi University.