Cadaver profile at university of Stellenbosch Medical School, South Africa, 1956-1996.

Abstract

Data on 1,698 cadavers donated during the period 1956-1996 were obtained from files of the Department of Anatomy and Histology at the University of Stellenbosch Medical School, Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa, to project a profile of the characteristics of those accepted on the program for dissection. A breakdown of the data also provided information on the profile of donors belonging to different population groups. Donors to our program were predominantly male (68%) and predominantly colored, which in South Africa identifies those of mixed heritage (63%). The average age of death was 55 years (range 15-98). Donors belonging to the white population group had the highest female : male ratio. Circulatory disorders accounted for most deaths in the white population group (48%), whereas cancer was the leading cause of death in the colored and black population groups ( approximately 25%). Pulmonary tuberculosis accounted for 13% deaths in the colored population group, 14% of deaths in the black population group, but only 0.5% of deaths in the white population group. Cervical cancer and breast cancer accounted for approximately one-third of cancer deaths in women, with cervical cancer more common in colored and black female donors and breast cancer more common in white female donors. The cadaver profile in general reflects the health status of the different population groups in South Africa. The profiles of the colored and black groups reflect that of disadvantaged population groups (a high prevalence of infectious disease; relatively young populations), whereas the white donor profile is that of a privileged population group (a high prevalence of degenerative disease; aging population).