Ethical use of the human body for teaching anatomy is not transgressive

A transgressive act is one that breaks a moral code, going beyond what are acceptable boundaries of taste and decorum. In this regard, the history of anatomy, although illustrious, is also inglorious as body snatching by resurrectionists and the anatomisation of convicted and executed prisoners is nowadays universally condemned and recognised as being transgressive. The public display of anatomised bodies in contemporary times, whether or not the bodies are obtained legally, is controversial and is arguably transgressive, as is the dissection of unclaimed bodies for the education of healthcare professionals. It has also been claimed that, even when bodies are obtained from donors who have given informed consent, anatomical dissection for the education of healthcare workers involves transgressive behaviour that does not fit with modern concepts of a caring, life-enhancing practitioner. Consequently, there are medical schools that do not have anatomy dissection rooms, and the use of digitalised anatomical imagery is advocated as a more moral pedagogic tool. However, not all the digitised images emanate from consented individuals. In this article, we argue that the public display of anatomised bodies (including the display and publication of images without informed consent) and the use of unclaimed bodies for dissection are transgressive. We are of the opinion that the dissection of human bodies obtained through a donor programme need not be transgressive if due respect is accorded the donated bodies and if the students benefitting from the experience are properly controlled, well-informed about the ethical issues, and if the process considers issues relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity.