The medical student's emotions during direct clinical contact with the human body were studied, with emphasis on strategies the student uses to manage feelings when they are "inappropriate" or uncomfortable. Observations and interviews were completed over a 2-year period (1984-1986). Observations were made in the gross anatomy laboratory, physical diagnosis course, and in clerkships. Interviews were conducted with 16 first-year, 13 second-year, 15 third-year students, and 18 others including residents and nurses. The interviews covered the major body contact situations including dissection and practice sessions on physical examination skills. Three emotion management strategies were identified: concentration on positives, intellectualization, and avoidance. Seven facts about the curriculum can influence the student's experience and emotion management strategies, including: the curriculum emphasizes the biomedical; the patient's affect is secondary to biomedical considerations; and there is no place in the formal or informal curriculum for the student's affect. (SW)