The study of anatomy and human dissection has always been a part of medical school curricula and an important learning experience for doctors in training. However, the history of how bodies have been procured by medical schools is riddled with stories of crime, legal trouble, secrecy, and ultimately significant efforts to change societal perceptions related to dissection after death – and the Dartmouth Medical School (now the Geisel School of Medicine) is no exception.
In this new digital exhibit, explore the history of anatomical donation at the Dartmouth Medical School from its earliest days in the late 1700s and 1800s – an era marked by graverobbing, arrests, and the kind of reputation one might expect the school to carry as a result – to the current Anatomical Gifts Program and the respectful and powerful ways in which today’s students interact with and learn from donors and their families. This is a difficult topic, but one through which we can learn where medical education has been, appreciate how it has grown and changed, and examine our own roles and experiences as members of a medical school with a long history.
You can access the exhibit here: https://exhibits.library.dartmouth.edu/s/anatomical-donation And if you’re interested in learning more, consider contacting Rauner Special Collections Library to access their wealth of materials on this subject.
We also have an Introduction to Medical Humanities workshop coming up on February 23rd if you’d like to learn more about how history and other fields can intersect with medicine and medical research.
This post was written by Amanda Scull, Head of Education and Information Services for the Biomedical Libraries.
