Status of Cadaver Collection of Medical Colleges for Their Anatomy Education in Korea

Lee, Won Bok; Baik, Sang Ho

Abstract

This study eximaned the status of cadaver collection of medical colleges in Korea for their anatomy education during the last thirty years. The total collected number of cadavers during the first decade (1971 ~1980) were 1, 182. The numbers increased year gradually and it showed 1, 771 during the second decade (1981 ~1990). Thereafter the collection rate dropped suddenly to 607 during the period of 1991 ~1996. Compare to the total number of medical colleges (from 14 to 41 schools) and medical students (from 1,300 to 3,300 students) during the examined period, the ratios of medical students joining to dissection per cadaver were getting worse until the donation of cadavers become popular after 1994. In 1995 ~1996, 83.2% of total collected cadavers in Korea were available from donation, while the donation rate in 1989 ~1990 was only 7.5%. We have been tried to collect donated cadavers for richly available cadavers and to prepare that combination of plastination materials and models with advanced tools for visualization provides the look and feel of real dissection.