11. The Living Embryo and Making of Whole Mounts

The living chick embryo can be used as a model for determining the possible ill-effects of various environmental conditions and substances that a human embryo might be exposed to..

In this chapter, students examine living 72- and 96-hour chick embryos. By using heart rates and changes in heart rates, they determine the possible ill-effects of such things as hypothermia, hyperthermia, alcohol (at levels that might be experienced by a human fetus), caffeine and theophylline (at levels found in a cup of coffee and tea).

Following their experiments, students use the embryos to make whole mounts.

Subjects covered include:

Procedures for incubation of eggs
Experimental procedures for exposing embryos to possible teratogens
Procedures for preparing whole mounts