I thought there was a great shortage of cadavers. How did they manage to get them for a non-medical school, indeed for use by non-students? Also, I am quite impressed that any course, particularly in the Bay Area, is $60 or free.
There is a great abundance of cadavers, nor shortage at all. The U.S. and India are the largest suppliers to the world’s medical schools and research labs. The U.S. obtains cadavers from willed body programs as well as unclaimed bodies. The UCSF Willed Body Program will not allow their willed bodies to be used in any sort of program that does not ultimately benefit human anatomy education or research. I run the lab that Alok is referencing where we create prosections for teaching anatomy. Despite his casual remarks of wonder and curiosity, Alok has an extraordinary gift for focusing, working hard and accomplishing tasks. His work in my lab is extremely valuable, and he sometimes brings a friend or three which makes my work as a 75 year old anatomy professor so much better and easier. These cadavers are used by anatomy professors to teach anatomy and physiology to pre-med and other allied health students in both the undergraduate and also post-baccalaureate courses (UC Berkeley Ext. and Merritt College).
It sounds like a “good” cadaver is young, not too obese or too evidently diseased. And apparently although it’s illegal to buy and sell organs for transplant (one of my obsessions, AMA), it’s legal to sell whole cadavers. But considering that doctors in particular (FAR in excess of the public) consider any form of financial incentive associated with body parts “repugnant,” I wonder if medical schools may not choose to purchase cadavers? If so, this would then mean that there’s a more adequate supply of sold or “low quality” cadavers, but a shortage of donated “high-quality” cadavers, and so abundance can coexist with shortage depending on how one is willing to source them. I have to stress that I’m not confident this is true—it’s just something to look into if you’re curious.
I thought there was a great shortage of cadavers. How did they manage to get them for a non-medical school, indeed for use by non-students? Also, I am quite impressed that any course, particularly in the Bay Area, is $60 or free.
There is a great abundance of cadavers, nor shortage at all. The U.S. and India are the largest suppliers to the world’s medical schools and research labs. The U.S. obtains cadavers from willed body programs as well as unclaimed bodies. The UCSF Willed Body Program will not allow their willed bodies to be used in any sort of program that does not ultimately benefit human anatomy education or research. I run the lab that Alok is referencing where we create prosections for teaching anatomy. Despite his casual remarks of wonder and curiosity, Alok has an extraordinary gift for focusing, working hard and accomplishing tasks. His work in my lab is extremely valuable, and he sometimes brings a friend or three which makes my work as a 75 year old anatomy professor so much better and easier. These cadavers are used by anatomy professors to teach anatomy and physiology to pre-med and other allied health students in both the undergraduate and also post-baccalaureate courses (UC Berkeley Ext. and Merritt College).
It sounds like a “good” cadaver is young, not too obese or too evidently diseased. And apparently although it’s illegal to buy and sell organs for transplant (one of my obsessions, AMA), it’s legal to sell whole cadavers. But considering that doctors in particular (FAR in excess of the public) consider any form of financial incentive associated with body parts “repugnant,” I wonder if medical schools may not choose to purchase cadavers? If so, this would then mean that there’s a more adequate supply of sold or “low quality” cadavers, but a shortage of donated “high-quality” cadavers, and so abundance can coexist with shortage depending on how one is willing to source them. I have to stress that I’m not confident this is true—it’s just something to look into if you’re curious.