272 HUMAN DISSECTION. ITS DRAMA AND STRUGGLE 



Violent opinions and reactions, have occurred in the past, in 

 parts of the civilized world, as an understandable response to the 

 commercialism, subterfuge, thievery and murder by a low-class 

 of people. When things have gotten out-of-hand, as in the case 

 of the murders in Scotland, England and Maryland, or when 

 riots have been invoked by outraged mobs, legislators have more 

 quickly evaluated the pros and cons of the question, and usually 

 new laws or amendments to old ones, have been forthcoming. 



Any one who has studied the history of anatomy cannot 

 fail, I believe, to be impressed with the attitude of surgeons and 

 anatomists of the past in respect to their regard for the human 

 body. On the whole, they have been impressed with its beauty, 

 architecture, and complexity; their approach has been philosophi- 

 cal and broad. Both they and their subject have been often 

 maligned, yet they have stood their ground, always trying to 

 meet the standards imposed upon them, whether written or un- 

 written. The same is probably as true today as yesterday. In addi- 

 tion, they have had a deep faith in the theoretical and practical 

 value of the subject and what a thorough knowledge of the 

 structural make-up of man has meant to the profession since the 

 Renaissance and what it means to each medical student today. 



The outstanding feature of the human body is its complexity 

 which leads inevitably back to its morphology. Because of this 

 factor alone, it takes time to completely dissect it; there are no 

 short cuts. In the past fifty years, there has been an attrition in the 

 number of hours devoted to gross anatomy, and today many de- 

 partments are teaching all of the anatomical subjects within one 

 semester. In terms of balance, this condition may eventuate in 

 all schools in the United States. Dissection probably has no place 

 for the man who is insensitive to structural beauty, who lacks a 

 sense of its importance, who has a regard for clock-hours or who 

 lacks historical perspective. 



Although grave robbing is a thing of the past, the pr()l)Icni 

 of cadaver supply remains. It is receiving more general pubhcity 

 than ever before. It seems likely that progress, if it occurs, will 

 not be made on an emotional basis, as in the past, but rather by 

 enlightening the public and particularly that part of it whi( h has 



