How to Model a Spinal Cord for an Anatomy Project

Your science teacher was right: If you want to understand how the body works, make a model. One of the most complex parts of the body is the spinal cord, a snake-like organ with 31 pairs of nerves, each of which is capable of feeling and moving at the brain’s beck and call. Short-circuit the connection and the body’s ability to move and feel can vanish. Knowing the amazing job the spinal cord does to keep people living life to the fullest, your model will be more than the way to earn a grade or prove a point: it provides a permanent reminder of the remarkable way the human body is engineered.

Peruse library books to locate simple drawings of the spinal cord from a variety of angles so you have plenty of reference material to follow once you start crafting your model. Alternately, undertake an Internet search for anatomical drawings used by medical students, artists and drafters.

Determine the size of your spinal cord model. Of particular importance is scale. One of the ways artists determine the size of projects is to determine the “baseline” measurement of a typical spinal cord and then use the skills your math teacher insisted you learn to plot out, for example, a model that equals 10-percent of that measurement.

Choose sculpting material. To guarantee the longevity of your finished model, choose Sculpy® clay from your favorite crafting retailer so you’re able to manipulate your medium easily as you craft. Save money working with a papier-mâché made of mixing white paste and newspaper strips, but it may not last as long as other materials. If you’re an experienced model maker, you may wish to use Plaster of Paris.

Construct a model-making framework by building an armature. This sturdy unit offers stability and mobility and is most easily made by inserting a thick wood dowel longer than the finished size of your model into a square of wood. Glue it in place to stabilize the armature. Plan to work from the base up to anchor the spinal cord model.

Pick material to serve as your spinal cord base: thick rope, wrapped wire, rolled up strips of window screen or any pliable medium that’s long, thin, bendable and strong enough to hold the sculpting material you plan to use to cover the infrastructure. Secure both ends of the wire to the top and bottom of the armature so it won’t detach or pull away once you start modeling with clay or papier-mâché.

Follow the drawing or photo you’ve selected as your reference: Shape and model the details of the spinal cord using your hands, a stylus, dental tools, a tongue depressor or sculpting tools. While your medium of choice remains pliable, smooth and shape, cut away pieces and create lines and indentations replicating the spinal cord.

Allow the spinal cord model to dry thoroughly once you’re satisfied with the way it looks. Bake the model if you’ve fashioned it of Sculpy in accordance with package directions. Use sandpaper sheets to smooth out rough edges of the model before painting and sealing the sculpture. Secure embellishments or other signature touches with the appropriate glue (what works on clay won’t work on papier-mâché, so be sure to purchase the right type of adhesive) for detail and realism.

Earn extra credit by identifying and tagging the nerves on your spinal cord model. Here’s a primer: there are eight pair of nerves located in the cervical region, 12 pair in the thorax area, five each in the lumbar and sacral regions and a single pair at the coccyx site.

Reference:

• faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmodel.html
• www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Spine-Center/Anatomy-of-the-Spine
• neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s2/chapter03.html