The History and Use of Human Cadavers
Ryne Diamond
Grand Canyon University

For the past two-hundred years, dissection of the human cadaver has been the gold standard for teaching aspiring medical professionals the networking and layout of the human body. Surprisingly, cadaver usage has had a rather curious history. The use of a human cadaver dates back to 300 B.C. with the Greek physician and father of anatomy, Herophilos, who is noted as being the first person to dissect a human cadaver (Korf & Wicht, 2004). Herophilos’ anatomical discoveries were no small matter. Because of his dissections, we know that the brain is center of the nervous system and where its ventricles lie. We also know where the route taken by sinuses of the dura matter. Thanks to Herophilos, nerves are able to be distinguished from both tendons and blood vessels, as well as separated into motor or sensory. With his dissection of cadavers, we were given meticulous accounts of the different layers and sections of the eye, pancreas, liver, genitals, and stomach (Herophilus, 2013).
Sadly, it seemed as if cadaver dissection died with Herophilos in 280 B.C. However, if we fast-forward to the 17th and 18th centuries, we will see a small resurgence of cadavers when certain theaters saw fit to put them on display (Korf & Wicht, 2004). Macabre, or ingenious artists (depending on how one views the situation) such as Michaelangelo and da Vinci, were known to have dissected cadavers to better portray their art (Dyer & Thorndike, 2000). It would seem that cadaver dissection had completely fallen prey to the arts; it was used to embellish plays and works of art, not anatomical study. Herophilos would have rolled over in his grave! Not so! Upon viewing the early 19th century, we see that anatomy schools wanted in on the cadaver action as well. Realizing that cadaver use was definitely a