American Association of Anatomists
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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RESEARCHERS AND EDUCATORS Renew today! ANATOMISTS FOCUSING ON ANATOMICAL FORM AND FUNCTION Newswww.anatomy.org VOLUME 18, NUMBER 1, MARCH 2009 IN THIS ISSUE President’s letter...2 Basmajian, YAPA winner...3 Human body exhibits: A guide to Postdoc fellowships given...4 Education research award...5 Members in the news...6 understanding the differences Outreach Grant report...9 by Ann Zumwalt Anatomy book shelf...10 Public policy...11 e have all seen the advertisements – on billboards primary distinction seems to Melissa Kraft joins AAA...17 and buses, in newspapers and magazines. The be the degree of transparency AAA in China...17 ads publicize “body exhibits” in which elaborate in the process by which the W Animals in research...18 and often beautiful dissections of human cadavers are companies obtain and prepare Report from AAMC...18 displayed for the paying public. These exhibits stir mixed the specimens on display. News & notes...20 reactions, eliciting in some awe and appreciation for the The two biggest exhibitions beauty and complexity of the human body, and in others are the Body Worlds series and Why publish in DD?...20 shock and even repugnance at the use of real human cadavers. Premier Exhibitions’ Bodies… Visible Human sculpture...22 Controversy aside, these exhibits have been wildly successful The Exhibition. A third display, In memoriam...25 since the first one opened in Japan in 1995, and they Our Body: The Universe Within, AAA in Wikipedia...26 continue to be extremely popular in cities across the globe. is also showing in a smaller Hotlinks...27 For most laypeople, these anatomy exhibits are the most number of cities in the U.S. RFAs & RFPs...29 tangible experience of gross anatomy they will ever have. The Body Worlds series includes AAA Annual Meeting...32 Our friends, families, and students attend the exhibits and the original Body Worlds, Body are introduced to anatomy as most have never had the Worlds 2 & The Brain, Body Worlds 3 & The Story of the opportunity before. As anatomists, we are often consulted Heart, and Body Worlds and the Mirror of Time. The Body by members of our community to discuss, interpret, and Worlds exhibits are produced by Gunter von Hagens, occasionally even act as guides through these exhibits. the inventor of the method of plastination that is used Because of this, it is important that we fully understand to prepare and preserve the bodies in all of these exhibits. the differences among these exhibits so that we are fully Premier Exhibitions produces Bodies… The Exhibition and informed in our conversations about them. Bodies Revealed, as well as a number of other non-anatomy Currently there are at least three different companies exhibits (e.g., Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition and Star Trek: The staging body exhibits in cities across the United States, with Exhibition). still more exhibiting in other countries. The exhibits have Most observers of these exhibits want to be reassured similar names and display similar full-body preparations in that the bodies were obtained in a reputable manner. their advertisements, leading many to mistakenly believe Because of this, a controversy that follows all of these they are all different versions of the same exhibit. The exhibits is the question of source and consent. First, can stated purpose of all of these exhibits is to educate the the source of each body be documented? Second, did the visitor about the beauty and complexity of the internal individuals on display consent to having their bodies used structure of the human body and, though they use different for purposes of anatomical education and/or display? Both themes and approaches, all of the exhibits seem to succeed of these questions stem ultimately from the human concern in this goal. Arguably, all of the exhibits are equally that the dead not be violated or exploited by the living. commendable as educational, awe inspiring, and unusual The major difference between the various exhibition experiences. Yet although the presentations themselves are companies is the degree to which they address these very similar, they are staged by different companies whose concerns. Currently, the only company that claims to be continued on page 6 AAA NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2009 Human body continued from page 1 able to fully document the source of each body used in their exhibits is von Hagens’ Institute for Plastination (IfP), Members which provides the bodies used in the Body Worlds exhibits. in the The other companies make no such assertion. Lack of News such documentation, though not evidence of disreputable practice, leaves those companies open to suspicion. Isha Jain named as “Best Brain” Body Worlds by Discover magazine Body Worlds uses cadavers from von Hagens’ private body The December 2008 special issue of Discover magazine donation program, which was established in 1982 and on the “50 Best Brains in currently has a donor list of approximately 9,000 Science” identifies Isha individuals, with at least 546 deceased and accepted by the Jain as one of “5 Under IfP. The IfP categorically states the following: 20.” Jain, now a With the exception of a small number of specimens in freshman at Harvard, the Body Worlds exhibitions (specifically organs, body made nationwide parts, and foetuses) that were acquired from established headlines in December morphological institutes such as anatomy and pathology 2007 when she took first programmes, and historical anatomical collections, all of individual prize in the Kathy Iovine & Isha Jain the specimens in Body Worlds are donated bodies, willed Siemens Competition in by donors, for the express purpose of serving Body Math, Science and Technology for her work on zebrafish Worlds’ mission to educate the public about health and development, published in Developmental Dynamics anatomy. (www.BodyWorlds.com/en/media/releases_ (Vol. 236:9, 2668-2674). A podcast featuring an statements/releases_statements_2008.html?edit) interview with Jain and her mentor, Kathy Iovine, is available at <www.anatomyeducation.org>. The IfP maintains a firewall of anonymity between the donors’ documentation and the finished plastinated IAMSE honors Robert Klein specimens. As a result, it is impossible to ascertain that with 2008 Master Teacher Award the bodies on display are indeed those of the documented Robert M. Klein, Professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology donors. An independent ethical review of the IfP body at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, received donor documentation set up by the California Science the 2008 Master Teacher Award Center in 2004 matched 206 IfP donor forms with the from the International Association death certificates of the donors. Though the firewall of Medical Science Educators prevented them from matching the donor forms to the (IAMSE). The Master Teacher plastinated specimens, the review committee was satisfied Award honors an IAMSE member with von Hagens’ commitment to ethical practices. who, over the course of many (Detailed results of the review are found at <www. years, has consistently bodyworlds.com/Downloads/englisch/Media/Press%20Kit/ demonstrated extraordinary BW_LA_SummaryofEthicalReview.pdf>.) excellence in teaching both at his/ Publicly available information about the IfP body her institution and within donation program indicates that the program meets Robert Klein IAMSE. Any teaching can be established informed consent standards. The IfP consent recognized, but nominations of members who have been form is extensive and detailed, allowing individuals to active teachers at the annual IAMSE meetings or Web specify how they would or would not like their bodies to seminars are particularly encouraged. be used by the institute (www.bodymobil.de/Downloads/ Englisch/BD_Consent_US200807.pdf). Donors may opt Alma mater recognizes Amreek Singh to allow their bodies to be displayed in exhibitions, or opt as distinguished alumnus not to, in which case they will be used for other educational purposes. The IfP will accept bodies from relatives or from Amreek Singh, Professor Emeritus of Microscopic the authorities without written consent from the deceased, Anatomy and chair, Admissions Committee at the but only if neither the deceased nor any relatives have Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), Charlottetown, voiced any objections (www.koerperspende.de/en/body_ continued on page 9 donation/faq.html). 6 NETWORKING s RESEARCH s TEACHING TOOLS s NETWORKING s RESEARCH s TEACHING TOOLS AAA NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2009 In addition to his body donation program, von Hagens the bodies and parts being displayed were not, or did not accepts bodies from other sources to prepare for academic belong to, Chinese prisoners who may have been victims of study. In the past, he has been accused of accepting torture and execution.” Currently, such a statement appears and storing bodies from questionable sources. In 2004, on a link from the website for the New York exhibit (www. the German magazine Der Spiegel accused von Hagens prxi.com/nycrefunds/). of accepting the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners. On the main website for Bodies… The Exhibition, Ultimately, von Hagens acknowledged that he could not Premier makes no claim to be able to document the prove that the bodies in question, which he had accepted source of each individual in its exhibits. The only related from Chinese officials but says he never intended for display, information on the Bodies… The Exhibition website is: had not been executed. The bodies were returned to China All of the bodies were obtained through the Dalian for burial. Since then, von Hagens says he has stopped Medical University Plastination Laboratories in the using any Chinese bodies in his exhibits and has converted People’s Republic of China. Asia possesses the largest his Chinese plastination site (one of a number around the and most highly competent group of dissectors in the world) to one that prepares only animal specimens. world, and they are highly skilled in preparing the Premier Exhibitions bodies for educational and scientific purposes.