Anatomy Acts Research Articles

Unreported anomalous musculature of first pharyngeal arch

Musculature of first pharyngeal arch play an important role in mastication, speech and swallowing thus a comprehensive knowledge of anatomical variations will be important for surgeons and Traumatologists which can increase the success of diagnostic evaluation and surgical approaches to the region. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of anomalous musculature of first pharyngeal arch in the human cadavers. This study was carried out on 107 formalin embalmed human cadavers (male 62 and 45 female), and dissections were performed in accordance with the institutional ethical standards and Indian anatomy act. Out of 107 cadavers, in three cadavers the following rare unreported muscular variations of first pharyngeal arch were encountered in the present study: 1. Rare and unusual unilateral quadrilateral anomalous muscle in the submandibular region superficial to the submandibular gland with an accessory head of depressor labii inferioris muscle; 2. Anomalous unilateral facial muscle extending from the from the right lateral angle of mouth to coronoid process of mandible; and 3. An anomalous accessory head of temporalis muscle extending from the temporalis tendon to the posterior part of buccinator muscle.

A Questionnaire Based Study on Knowledge of Body Donation among Undergraduate Students

Aim & Objective: Anatomy set forth the fundamentals of human body in the course of all health care professionals. Cadaveric dissection is the principal way to understand the Human anatomy by the medical students. Donated bodies fulfill the need of cadavers in learning and teaching anatomy. Apart from the use of cadavers students must be aware of particulars regarding body donation. The aim of present study is to assess the knowledge of medical students on body donation. Methods: The research work is questionnaire based study carried out among 263 undergraduate medical students in Siddhartha medical college, Vijayawada. Structured questionnaire was prepared and distributed among the students. The data was collected, compiled and analyzed. Results: All the study members knew the term body donation. Majority of the students are unaware of the time limit to donate the body and the age limit of body donation. 57.03% knew who can donate body. 89.7% knew that the death certificate is mandatory during body donation process. 60.45% had clear idea of reasons for body rejection when donated. 96.57 % had clear idea about the uses of donated body. 59.31% of the students were willing to donate their body and 93.53% were interested in propagating the message of body donation. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the medical students should be aware of act, process and committee of body donation before they involve in the propagation about body donation among public. Keywords: Awareness, anatomy act, body donation, donation forms.

Healthcare Policies and Judicial Regulations for Disposal of Unclaimed Dead Bodies: A Current Review

India leads the world in the number of registered medical institutions and produces the largest number of medical doctors in the world. Not with standing this, India struggles the concerns of cadaver shortage, patient unavailability (in hospitals), lack of medical equipment’s/ instruments, shortage of medical personnel and medicines which is largely due to the malfunctioning of Indian Regulatory bodies and flawed Educational, Healthcare and Judiciary policies. Few authors have written on the prevailing deficiencies in the Indian policies especially the ‘Anatomy Acts’ but failed to correlate them with the ‘Indian Judiciary Regulations’ and provide radical solutions to ensure an uninterrupted supply of cadavers to medical institutions for academic and research purpose. The objective of our article is to review the policies and acts enacted by the Indian Educational, Healthcare and Judiciary policies pertaining to the disposal of unclaimed dead bodies both, prior to COVID-19 and during COVID -19 pandemic period.

Awareness of body and organ donation amongst first year MBBS students of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna

Introduction: Cadaver dissection is the backbone of Anatomy. With the increasing number of medical colleges in India there is severe scarcity of cadavers for dissection. The realistic experience of dissection is gradually being replaced by prosected dissection, virtual techniques and audio visual aids. As the medical science is progressing in leaps and bounds the transplant surgeries are achieving great success. However there is a tremendous gap between the recipients and the donars. This gap has to be bridged by the health care professionals. Hence it is important to educate them from their early training period and onwards. The aim of the present study was to find out the extent of awareness among newly admitted first year MBBS students regarding body donation and organ donation. Materials and Methods: After a brief introduction towards organ and body donation data collection was done based on a structured questionnaire and analysed. Result: 82.02% of students were aware of body and organ donation. 56.18% of students were aware that the organ donation was from living and cadaver both. 60.67% of students were self motivated towards willingness for organ and body donation and 50.56% of students were positive regarding promotion of organ and body donation. Conclusion: Education and motivation of health care providers towards organ donation and body donation will go a long way to minimise the scarcity in the field of organ transplant and cadaver procurement for dissection purpose. Keywords: Awareness, Anatomy act, Body Donation, Cadaver, Organ donation, Transplant.

Changing medical education scenario: a wakeup call for reforms in Anatomy Act

BackgroundAnatomy Act provides legal ambit to medical educationists for the acquisition of cadavers. The changing medical education scenario, socio-demographic change, and ethical concerns have necessitated an urgent review of its legal and ethical framework. Suitable amendments addressing the current disparities and deficiencies are long overdue.MethodsAnatomy Act in India is a state Act, which ensures the provision of human bodies for medical education and research.The methodology included three components namely:Comparison of various Anatomy Acts clause by clause,Feedback from anatomists, andFormulation of comprehensive model Anatomy Act.ResultsVarious Acts studied showed discrepancies in the purpose of the Act, roles and duties of stakeholders, regulation for body donation, the procedure to handle unclaimed bodies, disposal of dissected bodies, etc. No Act defines a donor and neither addresses the issue of transport of anatomical material. Only ten states have a clause for body donation. Acts of only six states have been amended over the last 50 years. Three states denied having an Act. The whole exercise of review of Acts, extensive feedback received from end-users, and taking into account global good practices, culminated in drafting a comprehensive model Anatomy Act founded on ethical principles.ConclusionIndia, with the largest number of medical colleges, is not only at the forefront but also a hub of medical education in the Southeast Asia region. Legal reform can be a torchbearer to promote ethical and transparent practices for obtaining cadavers for other countries of the region with similar socio-demography and shall also motivate anatomic fraternity across the globe for critical analysis of their respective Anatomy Acts.

Body Donation- Consent from Non-Related Persons: Case Series, Review, and Recommendations.

Learning anatomy by dissection of cadavers is the best way to learn anatomy. Voluntary body donation is one of the sources of procuring cadavers. In the case of donations after hospital or non-institutional deaths, the family members of the deceased approach the hospital authorities regarding body donation of the deceased. There are situations, where there is no available accompanying near relatives of the deceased, which pose a challenge for personnel involved in the process of body donation. In two of the reported cases, the body donation was done by the live-in partner and a friend of the deceased. In another reported case, the son of the deceased was nominated by the donor at the time of registration. As the son of the deceased was not available at the time of death of the donor, donation was executed by another near relative. Anatomy Acts of individual States in the Union of India and Acts of other countries are examined about the consent for body donation by persons other than near relatives. None of the Anatomy Acts of various States in India provide an alternative in the absence of near relatives for claiming the body or for donating the body, except for Acts of Delhi and Kerala. There is a need to bring in a Unified Anatomy Act, common for all the States and Union territories in India and include: friend, live-in partner and a nominated person in the provisions of the Act to enable them to give consent for body donation.

Funeral embalming of dead body for transportation in India -a case report

Embalming is a process of preservation of dead body by injecting preservative fluid through arteries. Embalming of dead bodies is done if the body is going to be used either for academic purpose or has to be transported. In the absence of near relative of the deceased, a medical social worker accompanying the deceased requested for funeral embalming to enable transportation through the aeroplane. There are no provisions for funeral embalming in any of the Anatomy Acts enacted in various States in India. So, there is a need to formulate guidelines for transportation of embalmed dead body through air, rail, and road as the procedure is not done routinely like in western countries. Keywords: Funeral embalming, Anatomy Act, Medical social worker, Near relative

Body Donation: Legal Aspects, Procedures and Precuations

After death, the dead body is disposed of by the relatives of the deceased as early as possible. Body donation campaigns & social awareness for the donation of the corpse initiated the process of body donation. Body donation is an act of giving one's body after death for medical research and education and these donated bodies remain a principal teaching tool for medical educators. The Anatomy ACT of 1949 gives guidelines regarding use of dead bodies for educational purposes to be utilized by medical colleges. In the previous era the coroner use to certify the unclaimed dead bodies of the deceased who died of natural diseases and handed them over to the medical colleges for studies and research purposes. Since the coroner act is abolished the guidelines are given through the Anatomy ACT and various circulars of the home department about which awareness is a must among the people working in various medical colleges and hospitals/institutes, where there is a crunch of dead bodies for medical study or research purpose.

Indiscriminate disposal of museum specimens--a case report.

The human body and its parts and organs are invariably used in medical teaching institutions for academic purposes. Legal provisions for the preservation of such specimens are made in anatomy Acts across the country. However, after they have been used, the specimens are not disposed of in a proper manner. This is a public menace and forces the authorities concerned to carry out unnecessary investigations. We report a case in which the bodies of two foetuses that were brought for medico-legal autopsy were later found to be formalin-preserved "museum specimens" that had been used for anatomical study. We wish to emphasise the need for guidelines for the proper disposal of anatomical museum specimens.

Body Donation—Need of the Hour

Cadavers are indispensable part of learning anatomy; a thorough knowledge of anatomy can be gained only by exploring a real human body. Cadavers are also used for skilled labs, for workshops and training of post graduates in the field of surgical sciences. New concepts of cadaveric lab/operation theatre are also emerging in the field of medical education. Medical institutions in the past have tried different methods of procuring cadavers like robbery murders and unearthing fresh dead bodies to addresses scarcity issues. To overcome all these issues the anatomy act was formulated.

Anatomy's use of unclaimed bodies

The use of unclaimed bodies has been one of the distinguishing features of the anatomy profession since the passing of nineteenth century legislation aimed at solving the problem of grave robbing. Only in more recent years has the use of bequeathed bodies supplanted dependence upon unclaimed bodies in many (but not all) countries. We argue that this dependence has opened the profession to a range of questionable ethical practices. Starting with contraventions of the early Anatomy Acts, we trace the manner in which the legitimacy of using unclaimed bodies has exposed vulnerable groups to dissection without their consent. These groups have included the impoverished, the mentally ill, African Americans, slaves, and stigmatized groups during the Nazi era. Unfortunately, ethical constraints have not been imposed on the use of unclaimed bodies. The major public plastination exhibitions of recent years invite us to revisit these issues, even though some like Body Worlds claim to use bequeathed bodies. The widespread use of unclaimed bodies in institutional settings has lent to these public exhibitions a modicum of legitimacy that is needed even when donated bodies are employed. This is because the notion of donation has changed as demonstrated by consideration of the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. We conclude that anatomists should cease using unclaimed bodies. Difficult as this will be in some cultures, the challenge for anatomists is to establish relationships of trust with their local communities and show how body donation can assist both the community and the profession.

Let the Dead Teach the Living: The Rise of Body Bequeathal in 20th-Century America

America's medical schools have long used human cadavers to teach anatomy, but acquiring adequate numbers of bodies for dissection has always been a challenge. Physicians and medical students of the 18th and 19th centuries often resorted to robbing graves, and this history has been extensively examined. Less studied, however, is the history of body acquisition in the 20th century, and this article evaluates the factors that coalesced to transition American society from body theft to body donation. First, it describes the legislation that released the unclaimed bodies of those dying in public institutions to medical schools for dissection, thereby effectively ending grave robbery. Then it discusses midcentury journalistic exposés of excesses in the funeral industry-works that were instrumental in bringing alternatives, including the previously unpopular option of body donation, to public consciousness. Finally, it examines the rise of body transplantation, the Uniform Anatomical Gifts Act of 1968, and the subsequent state of willed-body programs at the turn of the 21st century. Body-donation programs have gradually stabilized since and currently provide most of the bodies used for dissection in American medical schools. Relying as they do on public trust, however, these programs remain potentially precarious and threatened by public scandals. Whether American medical schools will receive enough bodies to properly educate students in the future remains to be seen.

Anatomy and Punishment in Late Eighteenth-Century New York

The last two decades of the eighteenth century comprised the golden age of American legal reform. Reformers called for replacing frequent clemency under harsh laws with milder codes and fewer pardons. The prison, not the gallows, became the most important instrument of retribution. In the words of Michel Foucault, penal reform meant the rise ofa gentle way of Influenced by debates in neighboring Pennsylvania, New York state also chose this path. Yet the course of reform was not straightforward.1 This essay is about one law that belies any simple understanding of legal reform. It explores the origins and implementation of a 1789 New York statute that provided for the dissection of executed felons. While from the middle of the eighteenth century English statutory law directed that murderers' cadavers be delivered to surgeons, New York's anatomy act marked the first codification of this practice in America. The American genesis of dissection as a means of ret? ribution took place in the midst ofa rhetorical commitment to penal reform. That irony needs to be explained.2 Oddly, American historians have failed to examine the punitive role of dissection. In part this may be due to the fact that the New York anatomy act does not make explicit the relationship between dissection and punishment. Accord? ing to the act's preamble, the law is meant to prevent grave robbing. Using the cadavers of executed felons for medical study would ensure a sufficient number of anatomical specimens. Retribution is not mentioned. Yet it will be argued that the anatomy act was more than simply a pragmatic means of furnishing surgeons with corpses. Applying to executed murders, arsonists, and burglars, the act created a new punishment to be added to the death sentence. New York's anatomy act, then, had two facets. It sought to prevent anatomists from desecrating cemeteries and, although silent about the implications for criminal justice, it introduced dis? section into America's retributive apparatus. The reticence of the statute is equalled by that of its framers. There are no surviving records of legislative debates which might aid in understanding New York's anatomy act. Neither have private papers yielded clues about its goals. In fact, it remains impossible to know the identity of either its proponents or its detractors. The essential documents required for the kind of close textual analysis favored by legal historians do not exist. And even if such legislative sources were available, they would not fully explain the significance of dissection as an innovative mode of punishment. For debate over the role of dissection did not only take place in legislatures and courtrooms. Shaped by a tradition of popular protest against anatomy, the debate also extended to late eighteenth-century streets and alleyways.

Anatomy Acts of California

Anatomy Acts of California

European and American Anatomy Acts Compared

European and American Anatomy Acts Compared

European and American Anatomy Acts Compared

European and American Anatomy Acts Compared

Recent American Anatomy Acts

Recent American Anatomy Acts

American Anatomy Acts

American Anatomy Acts