Ew - and duh

[trixtah]

I just squicked myself by reading about the yolk sac a developing embryo has until about 7 weeks gestation (well, the sac remains until after birth, but the duct into what turns into the digestive area is occluded around 7 weeks and it becomes redundant).

Ok, of course I knew that mammals (and fish and birds and insects...) develop from eggs, but I had no idea that mammals produced yolk sacs during development as well. And I really have no idea why it squicks me, but it totally does. Gross.

You know, I wanted to become a doctor right from when I was about 7 till about 15 or so - I'm so glad I didn't. I put myself off in my teens by thinking about dealing with people vomiting and pus, neither of which are my favourite things - just imagine more of the fun I could have had in anatomy class, when reading about embryo yolk sacs and the like.

On another note, it must be said that London has a fantastic range of medically-themed museums and locations, ranging from the Chelsea Physic Garden through to the old St Thomas' operating theatre in the roof of a church. I meant to visit the Hunterian Museum last time I was over, but didn't get round to it. (I did manage to do 6 museums, 4 art galleries and Kew Gardens in England and Wales last year in a bit less than 2 weeks, so it wasn't too bad.) Maybe next year!

Comments

[micheinnz]

Not only that, but human embryos also have tails for a little while, and then it's reabsorbed and becomes the coxxyx.

[trixtah]

Oh, yeah, I'm totally down with the fishy stage we go through (the limb buds looking like flippers) and the monkey stage with the tail, until we start looking like little humans. Can't get past "EW, YOLK SAC" though! Heee!

[freyakitten]

:P My family thought I would make a good doctor... I thought about the sheer amount of work involved, and how I don't actually like doing most of what the doctors I had been to see did, and said no thanks :D

I believe at the age of about seven, I wanted to be a builder, instead.

[trixtah]

Yes, the work thing was offputting too. Heh.

Wanting to be a builder at age seven though? Groovy. :-)

[aquaeri]

I don't find it remotely squicky. But I know I'm weird.

[trixtah]

No, I think you're perfectly normal, in that respect. I have no idea why I'm so squicked by this one thing! I mean, I find things like teratomas and other cancers interesting rather than squicky, in terms of what the body can do. ::eyeroll at self::