The exact definition of a cadaver leads a result to a singular word CORPSE, but in the world of medicine, cadavers have played a major in the development of the study and knowledge of human anatomy among medical practitioners and medical students till today. Cadavers also play a significant role in helping researchers understand the secrets of human anatomy in developing better well-being. Understanding the history of cadavers' use gives us insights into the evolution of medical practices and the ethical considerations surrounding them.
Let’s learn about how different milestones of ancient practices have led to the achievements in today’s medical learning.
In ancient Egypt the use of cadavers was primarily associated with religious practises, particularly in the process of mummification. These practices have led us to sophisticated techniques in the preservation of cadavers, and have laid the foundation for giving us the chance to study human Anatomy.
In ancient Greece, the dissection of human bodies was very rare as it was considered a cultural and religious prohibition of those times, Hence many Greek physicians including Hippocrates and later Galen had to rely on animal anatomy.
The first documented scientific dissection took place in the 3rd century BC in Alexandria by Herophilus of Chalcedon and Erasistratus of Ceos, they were considered the first physicians who overlooked the religious taboo and did the dissection for the learning of human anatomy purposes, However after their deaths, the human dissection has been ceased as they considered that it did not bring any relevant importance in the development of medicine.
During the Middle Ages, the dissection thought had no ban against the study of anatomy but was heavily restricted by society and the research on human anatomical studies has remained stagnant without any changes and was taught through the studies of Gallen without any corrections or verifications by actual dissection.
The Renaissance era showed a very great changing point in the study of human anatomy as great artists and scientists like Da Vinci, and Andreas Vesalius provided with detailed sketches of the human body after conducting several human body dissections.
Leonardo Da Vinci not only attended medical dissections but also picked up a scalpel and wanted to explore the beauty of the human body for the sake of his art and was able to provide sketches of not only muscles but also the structures of bone in the Human body. Da Vinci was known that he used to climb the walls of a cemetery drag a body into his studio and perform these dissections.
During the 16th century a well-known anatomist and surgeon, Andreas Vesalius described his findings during public dissections of human cadavers. He revolutionalized the actual science of medical anatomy through his excellent work “De Humani Corporis Fabrica” (on the fabric of the human body he detailed from preparing the muscles, tendons and to the finest details of nerves and was able to correct more than 200 errors in Galen’s anatomical studies.
This new information has been groundbreaking work not only in the study of anatomy but also in the whole science of medicine.
During the 17th century along with the available access to information on human anatomy, many anatomy schools were formed, where human dissections were a basic part of the educational curriculum. As this was helping in expanding the medical knowledge and research for the good cause of humanity this situation has led to high demand the human bodies which were legally supplied but has shown an increase in the malpractice of body snatching. Even well-known anatomist, Andreas Vesalius was also accused of these malpractices for the sake of medicine
Due to these increases in malicious activities, the Anatomy Act of 1832 was enacted in the UK, this act provides legal access to unclaimed bodies for 48 hours after death and also the possibility of donating a kin’s body for medical study to surgeons and their students.
During the 19th century due to the abundance of informative milestones of the human anatomy, there were breaking discoveries in human physiology, and pathology which also helped develop various surgical technique developments.
During the 20th century, there was increased awareness regarding the ethical usage of a cadaver. Many initiatives were taken globally to promote body donation for anatomical studies. Successful promotion of these body donation programs has led to increased emphasis on informed consent and respectful treatment of the cadavers. Moreover, social awareness about the body donation programs increased a lot as medical professionals frequently donated their bodies as they knew the value of a cadaver and they could learn first-hand from someone else’s body.
Technological advancements have drastically increased and also paved ways to learn the human anatomy without actually dissection through the ways of MRI, Virtual cadavers and 3D imaging. However, cadavers remain the main source of medical study of anatomy in today’s medical schools all over the globe.
The ethical and legal issues in the usage of cadavers have drastically changed over the years and there have been many significant milestones throughout the history of cadaver usage in the medical world.
Let's know about a few important ones among many acts that have been enacted all around the globe and their significance.
●The Anatomy Act (1832) UK
This act was made to address illegal body snatching and this had a major impact on providing unclaimed bodies for medical research and greatly reduced illegal misuse of the corpses.
●The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1968 (USA)
This act provided legal ways procedure the donation of bodies legally.
●The Human Tissue Act of 2004
This act provided regulation on the removal and usage of tissue of bodies in an ethical and respectful in medical research or studies or on public display.
●The Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 2006 (USA)
It enhanced the regulatory rules for body donation and ensured clearer consent processes and protection of the donor’s wishes.
●“cadaver - Quick search results | Oxford English Dictionary,” n.d. https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=cadaver.
●Ghosh, Sanjib Kumar. “Human cadaveric dissection: a historical account from ancient Greece to the modern era.” Anatomy & Cell Biology 48, no. 3 (January 1, 2015): 153. https://doi.org/10.5115/acb.2015.48.3.153.
●Körperwelten. “The History of Anatomy - from the beginnings to the 20th century,” December 19, 2018. https://bodyworlds.com/about/history-of-anatomy/#:~:text=Anatomy%20is%20the%20oldest%20scientific,animals%2C%20primarily%20pigs%20and%20monkeys.
