THE DEAD COW LECTURE

This is the best example for paying attention that I have ever
heard.

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. Life’s tough but
it’s even tougher if you’re stupid.”