Body donation trends at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal over a three-decade period (1988–2017): Implications for medical education

Abstract

Dissection and prosection remain the gold standards for the teaching of anatomy to pre-clinical medical students around the world. This has made the practice of whole body donation the cornerstone of medical programmes. This study aims to determine the trends in body donation among South Africans and predict the best possible and realistic approach for the teaching of anatomy in the near future. Data from 696 cadavers donated during a three-decade period (1988–2017) were obtained from the files of the Discipline of Clinical Anatomy, University of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa. Data were analysed as percentages, mean ± standard deviation using Statistical package for social sciences version 24. Most bodies were donated in the first decade of this study (1988–1997). Family bequests through funeral services accounted for the majority of donations. Bodies were predominantly in the seventh decade of life (18.8%) and a larger proportion were males (61.6%). Bequests were found to be more among the whites (57.5%) than all the other races. The causes of death in donors were from a wide range of conditions. The study revealed that the trend in the practice of body donation in South Africa has been erratic, which makes it difficult to predict the number of bodies available for medical education. Alternative approaches to anatomy education such as plastination techniques and computational models need to be sought to ensure sound and uninterrupted medical programmes in South African schools.