Additional requirements anatomy and/or physiology If you want to participate in the course of Laboratory Animal Science your biological training is judged based on diplomas, transcripts, course descriptions and other study material you provide together with the application form. (Publications do not count as proof of knowledge!). If by that means you cannot give proof of at least 7,5 ECTS of anatomy and 7,5 ECTS of physiology, you can study the topics on your own and give proof of your knowledge in terms of a small written test. The test is held monthly. After self-study you ought to show a basal knowledge of 200 h (7,5 ECTS) of anatomy and 200 hours of physiology (based on your deficiencies as determined upon application). More specific: it is not required that you know all the names of all the muscles in the body, but the overall anatomy of vertebrates, the main structures of the organ systems , their function and interplay and the most important characteristics of the vertebrate species. A broad knowledge of the bodyplan is of importance. It is therefore more advisable to learn the summaries of all of the chapters in a book rather than all the details of only one chapter. Evolution and embryology might be interesting for the understanding of anatomy and physiology, but will not be examined. The hours you have to study are a guideline, the actual hours will strongly depend on your previous knowledge. Any comprehensive book on physiology/ comparative anatomy can be used and there are some learning tools available on internet. If you find it difficult to choose the following books might be useful:
Physiology: Randall, D. et al, Eckert Animal Physiology Berne, R.M. et al, Physiology Ganong, W.F. Review of Medical Physiology MoyesC.D. et al., Principles of Animal Physiology
Anatomy: Liem, K.F. et al, Functional Anatomy of the Vertebrates Kardong, K.V., Vertebrates: Comparative Anatomy, Function, Evolution Romer, A.S. et al, The Vertebrate Body Hildebrandt M. et al., Analysis of vertebrate structure Once you feel ready to take the exam you can make an appointment for the exam in Utrecht (via email:
[email protected]). The exam time is about 1,5 h and consists of open questions. The exam consists of two independent parts: one part is anatomy, the other is physiology. Depending on your situation you only have to take one part, or both parts. The exam is held monthly. For the most recent data and further information please contact Susanne Kirchhoff (
[email protected]) The course coordinators make sure that your biological knowledge is judged based on the information you include in the application for the course. If there are questions or remarks on that judgement, please contact your local course coordinator.
Example questions Anatomy Make a schematic drawing of the parts of the digestive tract of a mammal. Which specializations do we find in a herbivore? Physiology Name the two parts of the autonomic nervous system. What is their function? Describe the built up and the function of a kidney. What is a nephron? Where do we find Henles’ loop and what is its function?