Rev Med (São Paulo Descritores: Anatomia; Cadáver; Formaldeído; Glicerol; Escolas médicas; Brasil. ABSTRACT: Introduction:Anatomy is the science of body structures and the relations between their structures. One of the oldest methods for the study of anatomy is the use of human cadavers. Given the current difficulty for acquisition of new dead bodies and their importance in the medical education, the conservation of in use cadavers is considered as a crucial point in the teaching of anatomy. Objective: To evaluate the conservation methods of human cadavers used in medical schools in Brazil. Study approach: Descriptive with quantitative approach. Methods: Data collection was carried out by sending an online questionnaire to the email address of those responsible for the Anatomy discipline of 242 Brazilian medical schools. 81 of these institutions answered the research. The data were stored and analyzed by using the programs GoogleForms® and Microsoft Excel®. Results: The data showed that 96% of medical schools makes use of human cadavers in the practical lessons of anatomy. Of that number, 83.33% makes use of formaldehyde and 56.41% of Glycerinating method. The formaldehyde is used for the most of the Brazilians states, except for West Middle of the country. 60,7% of the universities the uses formaldehyde intend to change the method of conservation because of insalubrity of the formaldehyde. Conclusion: The use of human dead bodies in anatomy teaching proved to be of great importance because its use is adopted for a significant part of Brazilian medical schools. The method most widely used in the conservation of cadavers still is formalin fixation, followed by glycerinating.

ABSTRACT. The Human Anatomy is the study of human body structure and it has been related to the use of cadavers through the history. The aim of this research was to investigate the use of human cadavers in practical classes of human anatomy in Brazilian medical schools, and it was also made the identification of alternative methodologies and new technologies applied to the teaching of Anatomy. The research was conducted at the Faculdade Integral Diferencial from January to December of 2015. The population studied was composed by professors responsible for the Human Anatomy sector of the Brazilian medical faculties. It was addressed all the 242 medical colleges of the Brazil. It was obtained 81 answers. 96% of respondents reported make use of human corpses in its practical lessons of anatomy. It can be observed that 42% of the surveyed medical schools make use of only formaldehyde. 81% of faculties reported to face some difficulties to acquire human cadavers. 84% of medical schools make use of artificial models. 46% of faculties make use of diagnostic images. It can be concluded that human bodies, artificial models and new technologies are widely used in practical classes of anatomy in Brazil, since there is a difficulty to obtain cadavers.Keywords: formaldehyde, glycerin, dissection.Utilização de cadáveres humanos no ensino da anatomia humana nas faculdades de medicina do Brasil RESUMO. A anatomia humana é o estudo da estrutura do corpo humano e tem sido relacionada com a utilização de cadáveres durante a história. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar o uso de cadáveres humanos em aulas práticas de anatomia humana em escolas médicas brasileiras e foram identificadas metodologias alternativas e novas tecnologias aplicadas ao ensino de anatomia. A pesquisa foi conduzida na Faculdade Integral Diferencial, no período de janeiro a dezembro de 2015. A população estudada foi composta pelos professores responsáveis pelo setor de anatomia humana das faculdades médicas brasileiras. Foram abordadas todas as 242 faculdades de medicina do Brasil. Obtiveram-se 81 respostas. 96% dos entrevistados relataram fazer uso de cadáveres humanos em suas aulas práticas de anatomia. Observou-se que 42% das escolas médicas pesquisadas fazem uso apenas de formaldeído; 81% das faculdades relataram enfrentar dificuldades na obtenção de cadáveres humanos; 84% das escolas médicas fazem uso de modelos artificiais, 46% das faculdades fazem uso de imagens diagnósticas. Pode-se concluir que os cadáveres humanos, modelos artificiais e novas tecnologias são amplamente utilizados nas aulas práticas de anatomia no Brasil, uma vez que existe dificuldade para obter cadáveres humanos.Palavras-chave: formaldeído, glicerina, dissecação.