Refusal to Dissect a Frog

Your article on Debra Treister’s refusal to dissect a frog in her biology class (April 29) brought back memories of what took place in my 1932 biology class in Cleveland, Ohio.

Our assignment one day was to dissect a frog, and they were handed out to all the class members. My friend and classmate completed the assignment and noticed I had done nothing. When I told her I could not dissect the frog, she took mine and dissected it for me.

A few minutes later my teacher, who saw what happened, called me up and placed another frog on his table, handed me the instrument and told me to dissect the frog. I was not a rebel and had not been in trouble before. But I could not bring myself to do what he asked.

I don’t remember what my punishment was. He was, I think, a compassionate person who had empathy for me. I probably got an incomplete that day. Nothing appeared in our school paper. My folks were not contacted. I can understand Jennifer’s abhorrence for the assignment.

MARIAN P. MILSTIEN

Encino