D. Gareth Jones

Reassessing the importance of dissection: a critique and elaboration.

How important is dissection in basic anatomical education? In an attempt to provide an adequate basis for a rigorous answer to this seminal question, a number of subsidiary questions are asked. What is the value of the direct experience of human cadavers? What is the value of dissection? Where does the use of prosections fit in? What are the alternatives? The emphasis throughout is on the need for hard data and serious analysis. To this end, a variety of issues are raised for debate, including the variety of responses demonstrated by students to human cadavers, the importance of dissection for introducing students to aspects of the clinical ethos, the problems raised by students who attempt to bypass dissection, and the relative costs and educational merits of using cadavers and alternative approaches (including prosections and computer‐based approaches). The relevance of the debate for histology teaching is also raised. Clin. Anat. 10:123–127, 1997

Anatomy's Use of Unclaimed Bodies: Reasons Against Continued Dependence on an Ethically Dubious Practice

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. Clin. Anat. 25:246–254, 2012.

Engaging with plastination and the Body Worlds phenomenon: A cultural and intellectual challenge for anatomists

Body Worlds, the international plastination phenomenon, has proved immensely popular with audiences worldwide. Never before has the human body been exposed to public gaze in such an accessible and intriguing manner. Dissected body parts feature alongside whole‐body plastinates with their life‐like poses ranging from those with Renaissance motifs to others with highly contemporary themes. However, the exhibitions and their creator, Gunther von Hagens, have astounded many, including anatomists, some of whom find the unconventional display of human bodies unethical and offensive. The voyeuristic nature of Body Worlds and the uneasy balance between entertainment and education have proved problematic for anatomists. Von Hagens himself is a polarizing figure, pursuing his dream of “democratizing anatomy” with little regard for the conventions of academia. While valid ethical objections can be raised against some aspects of the exhibitions, we argue that wholesale rejection of them is unwarranted. In arriving at this conclusion we assess the ethical and educational issues involved. We divide the whole‐body plastinates into four categories, ranging from those illustrating structural and functional relationships to those with artistic and humanistic aspirations rather than anatomical ones. We conclude that anatomists need to face up to the opportunities and challenges posed by the Body Worlds phenomenon, utilizing what is being presented to the general public and adapting this in teaching and research. Clin. Anat. 22:770–776, 2009.

Archeological Human Remains: Scientific, Cultural, and Ethical Considerations

Recent developments regarding the repatriation of human skeletal remains have raised questions of profound significance for both archeologists and anthropologists. The various responses to these questions have tended to focus on the implications of these developments for the future of the academic disciplines and skirted the ethical issues at stake. In addition, little attention has been devoted to the relationship between approaches to human skeletal remains and to dead human bodies. As a result, discussions of skeletal remains tend to occur in isolation and fail to benefit from a consideration of values considered relevant in related areas. From our perspective as anatomists, we will apply a broader analysis to the issue of archeological human remains; in determining relevant values, we will draw on the experience of other disciplines involved in research on human tissue and human material.

Human body donation programs in Sri Lanka: Buddhist perspectives

Considerable attention is being given to the availability of bodies for anatomical education. This raises the question of the manner in which they are obtained, that is, whether they are unclaimed or donated. With increasing emphasis upon the ethical desirability of using body bequests, the spotlight tends to be focused on those countries with factors that militate against donations. However, little attention has been paid to cultures where donations are readily available. One such country is Sri Lanka where the majority of the Buddhist population follows Theravada Buddhism. Within this context, the expectation is that donations will be given selflessly without expecting anything in return. This is because donation of ones body has blessings for a better outcome now and in the afterlife. The ceremonies to honor donors are outlined, including details of the “Pirith Ceremony.” The relevance for other cultures of these features of body donation is discussed paying especial attention to the meaning of altruism and consent, and justification for the anonymization of cadavers. The degree to which anatomy is integrated into the surrounding culture also emerges as significant. Anat Sci Educ 8: 484–489.

Speaking for the Dead : The Human Body in Biology and Medicine

Contents: Preface The dead body The dissected body The abused body The plastinated body The transplanted body The indigenous body The developing body The thinking body The modified body References Index.

Regeneration in the central nervous system: Pharmacological intervention, xenotransplantation, and stem cell transplantation

The factors inhibiting regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) have been elaborated, debated, and studied for the past 70 years. Recent work has pointed to the fine balance that exists between repair and regeneration following CNS injury. Growth factors have featured prominently in this debate. In attempts to tip the scales toward regeneration and functional reconnection to damaged neurons, pharmacological intervention has come to the fore. However, a perennial concern has been that much of regeneration may be aberrant, although there is now evidence to suggest that this fear may have been exaggerated. In searching for additional avenues for achieving therapeutic reconstruction of damaged neural pathways, transplantation studies occupy a prominent place in the literature. Various principles have become established, and these have proved relevant for all approaches utilizing grafts. Xenotransplantation and stem cell transplantation are approaches with exciting potential. Circuitry can be effectively restored by xenotransplantation, including early indications of integration of pig dopaminergic neurons in Parkinsons disease. The considerable possibilities offered by the differentiation of neural stem cells into progenitor cells and then into neurons and glia are explored. Clin. Anat. 11:263–270, 1998.

Using and respecting the dead human body: An anatomist's perspective

In his stimulating article enquiring into what the living owe the dead, Wilkinson (2013, Clin. Anat. DOI: 10.1002/ca.22263) sought to unpack a range of ethical questions of considerable interest to anatomists. In this, he looked closely at the extent to which we are or are not to respect all the prior wishes of the deceased, and the implications of this for the role of the family in providing consent, the use of unclaimed bodies, and the public display of bodies. Some of his conclusions challenge widely encountered views by anatomists. In this response I have re‐visited these topics in an attempt to ground his arguments in the experience of anatomists, by emphasizing the many intimate connections that exist between each of these areas. The following emerge as issues for further debate. I accept that the wishes of the deceased are preeminent, so that authorities should make every effort to abide by these. This reiterates the importance of body bequests over against unclaimed bodies, and provides a context for assessing the role of family consent. This has repercussions for all activities employing dead bodies, from the dissecting room to public plastination exhibitions. In determining the extent to which the wishes of the deceased are followed the input of other interested parties is a relevant consideration. An ethical assessment of the public display of bodies needs to take into account the nature of the plastination process. Clin. Anat. 27:839–843, 2014.

Academic Leadership and Departmental Headship in Turbulent Times

Leadership of academic units, in the guise of headship of departments, is crucial for the ongoing well-being of academic life and yet it remains a contested role. This paper argues for the role of heads of department (HODs) as academic leaders, with the managerial side of the role occupying an important but subsidiary place in its overall focus. It is argued that HODs should have a mandate to articulate and implement the vision of the institution, whether research-intensive or operating principally within a teaching and scholarship paradigm. The demands on HODs are articulated by considering the characteristics required of leaders if they are to respond creatively to the many ongoing changes within universities, the dictates of government policy and the drive for external funding. These developments pose substantial challenges to the value systems of HODs, and to the manner in which they focus on relationships and on the diversity of contributions within the academic community.

Is the decline of human anatomy hazardous to medical education/profession?--A review.

PurposeThe continuous decrease in teaching time, the artificially created scarcity of competent anatomical faculties and a reduced allocation of resources have brought about the decline of anatomy in medical education. As a result of this, anatomical knowledge and the standard of medical education have fallen with consequences including safety in clinical practice. The aim of the present study is to analyze this declining phase of anatomy and its impact on medical education and to consider corrective measures.MethodsThis article expresses comparative viewpoints based on a review of the literature.ResultsAnatomy enables doctors to master the language of medical science so they can communicate with patients, the public and fellow doctors and diagnose and treat diseases successfully in all medical fields. No medical specialist or expert can master their field without adequate knowledge of human anatomy. The shrinkage of anatomical schedules, inadequate faculties and declining allocation of resources is therefore unfortunate. These factors produce stress in both student and faculty creating gaps in anatomical knowledge that means insufficient skill is developed to practice medicine safely.ConclusionThis decline is hazardous not only to the medical profession but also to society. Reforms consisting of balanced rescheduling of medical curricula and optimum resource allocation have been proposed to improve the standard of education of doctors.