Tag: Cadaveric Plastination

Abstract Dissection of a dead body is a time honoured element of medical education as a component of learninghuman anatomy since the time of Vesalius. However, lately dissection of cadavers for teaching and trainingpurposes is surrounded by many ethical and other uncertainities. Hence many universities have shiftedtowards alternative modalities of teaching involving cadaveric plastination, non-cadaveric models andcomputer-based imaging. Plastination is the process whereby the water and fat of the tissues are replacedby certain plastics, yielding specimens that not only retain most properties of the original sample but alsodo not smell or decay. Specimens appear artistic, and do not undergo significant deterioration over manyyears of continuous use. Plastination no doubt, is a boon for Anatomy as well as for medical practitionersbut is it feasible for undergraduate students studying Anatomy. This paper discusses the advantages ofplastination as well as dissection and concludes why cadaver dissection should remain as an essential partand indispensible of undergraduate medical education. Conclusion: Plastination is a boon for medicalpractitioners as specimens appear artistic, and do not undergo significant deterioration over many years ofcontinuous use and are thus easy to construe. But it should be reserved for those students who havecompleted the dissection of the body at least once and are aware of the 3-dimensional anatomy. [avf_view name="Article Addons" view-id="66d98451c48e3"]