Technical note: equine skeletal preservation techniques to enhance teaching effectiveness.

The research paper describes a method of preserving and reconstructing a horse skeleton to facilitate learning in animal science classes. This process involves extended boiling to remove tissue, treatment with various solutions to clean and preserve the bones, and assembly using wires and rods to create a functional and portable teaching tool.

Research Procedure

• The researchers began their project after a Thoroughbred broodmare, suffering from acute laminitis, was euthanatized. The team from the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry decided to preserve her skeleton to improve teaching resources.
• All the soft tissues – skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, the reproductive and gastrointestinal organs – were first removed. The organs were preserved separately in formalin.
• The bones were boiled in water for at least 48 hours to get rid of all residual soft tissue. This included any lingering bits of muscle, marrow, or connective tissue. The bones were then soaked in gasoline to remove the fat left in the marrow cavities.
• The final cleaning step involved soaking the bones in a bleach/detergent mixture. After which the bones were left to dry for several weeks.
• The bones were then lacquered with a semi-gloss clear coat for preservation purposes.

Construction of the Skeleton

• Once all the bones were clean, dry, and preserved, they were connected using 17-gauge wire. An overall structure was achieved by further supporting the bones with two 1.91-cm galvanized steel rods mounted on a mobile platform.
• The vertebral column alignment was maintained by placing it on a 1.27-cm diameter flexible copper tube. Extra support for the head and the neck was provided through aluminum and steel rods from the front support.
• The finished product was a complete, freely movable, horse skeleton.

Application

• This skeleton teaching model is designed to serve educational purposes for different levels of learning in the cognitive domain.
• It can be applied in various ways depending on the level of the student. For beginners, it can help in memorizing the names and locations of different bones.
• For more advanced students, they can use the skeleton in case studies, where they have to figure out synthetic solutions through brainstorming.
• It can also be used for identifying and analyzing joint ailments in equine studies.