That's not what you expect to do as a doctor, you know, you don't expect your patients to die." Death as a learning experience for undergraduate medical students.

Background: Experiencing the death of a patient can be one of the most challenging aspects of clinical medicine for medical students. Exploring what students' learn from this difficult experience may contribute to our understanding of how medical students become doctors, and provide insights into the role a medical school may play in this development. This research examined medical students' responses of being involved personally in the death of a patient.

A belief in the soul may contribute to the stress experienced in the dissecting room.

The aim of this research was to explore whether medical students believe in a soul and how this may affect their dissecting experience. Three questionnaires were delivered electronically to the 2011 cohort of second-year medical students over a 2-year period. At the University of Otago, students enter medicine via three categories: Health Sciences First Year (following 1 year of university); postgraduate (following a Bachelors or higher degree); and 'other' category entry (Allied Health Professional or 3 years after a Bachelors degree).

Medical students' understanding of the concept of a soul.

The concept of a soul has been discussed throughout religious, philosophical, and scientific circles, yet no definitive description exists. Recent interviews with medical students during the production of a documentary film identified that many believed in the concept of a soul. This study explores students' understanding of the concept of a soul.

Medical students' responses to the dissection of the heart and brain: A dialogue on the seat of the soul.

The search for the soul has been documented since the fifth Century BCE when philosophers and physicians began to explore the role of human consciousness and emotion. Traditionally in western civilization, there have been two distinct followings with some believing that the brain was the seat of the soul and others believing that this role belonged to the heart. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of medical students towards the heart and brain during their anatomy laboratory dissections to evaluate if any extra meaning is given to these organs and where they perceived the origin of the soul.

Seasonal changes in morphology and steroid receptor expression in the prostate of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula): an animal model for the study of prostate growth?

The prostate of the brushtail possum undergoes growth and regression during the year. The present study investigated the morphological changes and expression of androgen and oestrogen receptors during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Prostate tissue was collected from adult possums at 2-monthly intervals.