The Transition from “Unclaimed Bodies” to Body Donation – an Ongoing Process

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At a time when dissection as a teaching tool may be replaced by other educational approaches in some programs, and time allocated to it is reduced in others, dissection of a human body is still the cornerstone of anatomical education in most places. Historical developments in this respect are diverse, and anatomists around the world operate within multiple political, legal, cultural, and religious backgrounds to acquire bodies for this purpose. A look at the sources of bodies for anatomy teaching on a global scale reveals that many anatomists still depend on “unclaimed bodies”, while some even have to import bodies from abroad. Today, the ethical gold standard of anatomical dissection is body donation – also officially recommended by the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA). While it can be argued that the use of unclaimed bodies can be acceptable for a time of transition in certain circumstances, when without their use anatomical education would be impossible, the aim should nevertheless be the establishment of voluntary body donation programs based on informed consent. The pace of this transition will differ between cultures and countries, but there are encouraging examples, including Taiwan and India, of the recent successful implementation of body donation programs.Support or Funding Informationno extra fundingThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.