Profiting from public dissection: A new era of unethical practices

Abstract

Historically, adverse events have reflected poorly on both the practice of dissection and the perception of the discipline of anatomy. The recent public dissection of a body donor is a regression to an unethical historical practice and was strongly denounced by anatomists around the world. The individual whose donated body was sourced from a ‘for‐profit” company in the United States had not given consent for a public dissection. This violates the ethics surrounding consent and body donation and potentially places the future of body donor programs in jeopardy as it compromises community frameworks around epistemic trust. Recent guiding frameworks by international anatomical associations on the ethical use of bodies have cemented the way in which body donor programs should operate. This viewpoint reflects on past and current events pertaining to public dissections and questions how these indignities may influence the public's interaction with human bodies. The authors argue that public dissection should be prohibited as it is against social mores. Social pressure should be applied to individuals or companies who wish to profit from unethical anatomical practice and legislation prohibiting public dissection should be introduced in those countries where it does not yet exist.

“My Dead Body”: Development, production, and reception of a documentary that publicly displays the dissection of a human donor

“…It is understandable that there may be concern from some groups over public display, and different public display activities have been met with different reactions. With respect to the von Hagen's public autopsy in 2005, it received 130 complaints to the independent regulator (Ofcom) 35 . “My Dead Body” received none.…”

“…As discussed by Keet et al., 35 at the core is a discussion of social mores and ethics that are strongly interconnected. The discipline of anatomy has a challenging ethical history and this has implications for anatomists' responsibility today.…”

“…With respect to the von Hagen's public autopsy in 2005, it received 130 complaints to the independent regulator (Ofcom). 35 "My Dead Body" received none. Anatomists have also demonstrated differing professional and personal perspectives, for example: in an article in "The Scotsman" a group of Scottish Anatomists wished to distance themselves from the documentary.…”

“Spine to the future”—A narrative review of anatomy engagement

“…dissection back into the public realm, often challenging the social and ethical values around body donation held by many in the professional field, as well as crossing legislative boundaries that exist in some countries to prevent this type of action. 22 Anatomy, to the general public, has a personal connection. The public's preferential interest in sciences is linked to their professional or personal interests.…”

“…The development of plastic models, mass produced textbooks and latterly electronic and interactive resources has enabled the public to rediscover anatomy as well as encounter it in new and more palatable formats. While there have been numerous advances in the availability of resources, this has not prevented some entities bringing public dissection back into the public realm, often challenging the social and ethical values around body donation held by many in the professional field, as well as crossing legislative boundaries that exist in some countries to prevent this type of action 22 . Anatomy, to the general public, has a personal connection.…”