I've eaten my share but they are much more enjoyable for practicing suturing due to their similarity to human skin. I recently purchased a book called Essential Surgical Skills. It basically contains all of the stuff they don't teach you in medical school but are expected to know during your surgical rotations. It includes a lot about suturing and skin flaps. Skin flaps are used to correct a defect in the skin either due to surgical removal of a lesion or from injury. It basically consists of moving a piece of skin from one area to another. The elasticity of the skin makes it possible to do this without creating another gaping hole. Another important factor are tension lines. Making the final scar parallel to these tension lines reduces the scarring and gives the most favorable outcome.In my spare time I have been practicing a little bit, and completed my first couple of skin flaps. Who knows how well they worked. Dead pig feet don't heal well. I think I caught a glimpse of what some surgeons must fell when they operate. After the initial excision there is kind of this "Oh crap, how am I going to put this back together feeling." As you start placing stitches, it starts to come back together until eventually the gaping hole is closed over. The final product is extremely satisfying, even on a pig's foot. I can see why people want to go into plastic surgery. That and the hours are better. And there is something very artistic about it.
The best part about all of this is that all the suturing materials are sterile and you can eat the pigs feet afterwards. If you like eating thick hairy skin and gigantic toenail.
