First-year students at the Purdue Vet School were attending their first anatomy
class with a real dead cow. They all gathered around the surgery table with the
body covered with a white sheet.
The professor started the class by telling them, "In Veterinary medicine it is
necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor. The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the animal's body." For an example, the professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt of the cow, withdrew it, and stuck his finger in his mouth. "Go ahead and do the
same thing," he told his students. The students freaked out, hesitated for several
minutes, but eventually took turns sticking a finger in the butt of the dead cow
and sucking on it.
When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said, "The second most
important quality is observation. I stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my index finger.
Now learn to pay attention.
