Abstract
Two articles have appeared in the pages of this journal arguing for and against the ethical validity of public dissections of human bodies. On the surface, these opinions appear to be irreconcilably opposed. However, a range of factors needs to be taken into account before reaching a definitive assessment.
It is not surprising that emotions are stirred by public dissections since their historical precedents are mired in an ethical context far removed from that of the present day. A constantly repeated refrain is that they were theatrical spectacles focused on the carnivalesque drama of dissection.4 However, some scholars view public dissections in the early modern era as a more solemn event with an education function for the barber-surgeons guild.5 Either way, their close relationship with the dissection of executed criminals, and with deception and dishonesty do not constitute a fitting exemplar for today's anatomists.
The small number of public dissections carried out within the past 20 years fall into two broad categories, those lacking consent of the deceased and their family for a public dissection, and one with appropriate consent.