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ffoboomstick OP t1_jdctxq4 wrote

At the time the school was in operation, the idea of dissection wasn't exactly "legal", so it's possible that the cadavers came from grave robbers and other less legitimate sources.

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GuiltyandCharged t1_jden5bj wrote

Gonna take a shot in the dark here and guess that it's probably not legal now either

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McWeaksauce91 t1_jdep7pv wrote

People donate their bodies to medical science upon death, for various reasons. A lot of med schools have “cadaver labs”

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Roushfan5 t1_jdew9ck wrote

The college I work for a has a cadaver lab for the med students. It was a sudden and uncomfortable reminder of my own mortality when I watched them unload the bodies one morning.

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Theletterkay t1_jdg7683 wrote

I knew I couldnt handle med school the first time I saw the manhandling of a cadaver. I just cant view a body like that objectively. I know they consented, but it still feels like a violation cutting into them.

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WingedLady t1_jdgl84y wrote

I was able to handle bones of various ages in an osteology lab and looking at plenty of pictures of cadavers while studying anatomy on my own time, until I came across one that looked like my husband.

That was a hard nope.

Any plans for studying forensics went out the window pretty quick after that.

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mememuseum t1_jdg7zfm wrote

I took some biology courses in college. I got to dissect a cat, but one day they showed us the cadavers and I got to hold a human brain.

It was a surreal and humbling experience. To hold that and know that it once contained all of a persons hopes, dreams, and experiences.

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theochocolate t1_jdgl2gb wrote

I loved my biopsychology class in college. My professor labeled the parts of actual human brains and let us hold one. It was quite awe-inspiring...it's difficult to describe the feeling. They're so small.

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CofaDawg t1_jdfstk3 wrote

1st year med student who has anatomy lab chiming in here.

Today, I removed the entire GI tract.

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[deleted] t1_jdesa1m wrote

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Chairmanwowsaywhat t1_jdfpmmx wrote

No but in the 1800s there was a trade for illegally obtained cadavers in britain. There's a film called burke and hare about it I think

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[deleted] t1_jdewk0v wrote

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McWeaksauce91 t1_jdftcah wrote

I didn’t mean back then. I was speaking to the person saying it wasn’t legal now. I was saying there’s no need to grave rob, because people donate. Sometimes willingly. Sometimes its not willingly, but those who don’t have a will or family at death (homeless, mentally ill, other like cases). But it’s been a long time since I’ve done a cadaver lab, so I could be misremembering

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Herbacult t1_jdfrax0 wrote

I’d like to take this opportunity to recommend the book Stiff by Mary Roach

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hungry4danish t1_jdg468h wrote

I came into this thread to say the same thing. Just finished it a few weeks ago and it is so well researched and informative and funny even when she's going into great and gory details!

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Herbacult t1_jdg628y wrote

I’m only 60% through, but it’s wonderful! I love nonfictions like this. Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone and The Demon in the Freezer + Bill Bryson’s An Occupant’s Guide to the Body are great too.

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dragracesssss t1_jdfjl7q wrote

Thats alot of bones but then I remembered we have 365 so that can be made up in about three and a half or so people.

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EDIT: I did my math wrong and I forgot how many bones we have (I'm a psych/history major, not bio and math) so its more about six people.

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KingoftheMongoose t1_jdfmcm2 wrote

And since the 1200 were from at least 15 people, that means that most likely they are at different levels of completeness. What really would be interesting, would be to read first hand written accounts of how that initial discussion took place to decide “Yep, just bring them over to my house; I know just the place.”

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[deleted] t1_jddz7dq wrote

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professor_doom t1_jdftnq8 wrote

>1200 bones from roughly 15 bodies

Let’s do the math. 206 bones in the human body. 206 bones x 15 bodies =3090 bones. That’s a quarter of the bones found. That’s a pretty generous “roughly”.

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