Then and Now: A History of Dissection and Body Donation

The University of Glasgow has one of the busiest body donor programmes in the UK, for teaching and research. These donors sign up with informed consent, and there are currently more than 15,000 people on the University’s bequeathal register. This model of body donation is relatively recent, and historically the majority of the bodies used did not give their permission to be dissected. Professor Paul M. Rea, a Licensed Teacher of Anatomy for the body donation programme in Glasgow, and Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving will explore the history of who was dissected, and why, and look at the way this developed into our modern system that respects the ‘Silent Teachers’ who gift their bodies to anatomy. This event will feature a talk in the Lecture Theatre Room 236 in the Thomson Building, followed by a visit to the Hunterian Anatomy Museum for further discussion.

The Hunterian Anatomy Museum is located in the Thomson Building, within the Anatomy Facility at the University's School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing. The student entrance will be open to visitors, and there will be signs to direct you. Please note that for both legal and ethical reasons, no photography is allowed in the Museum and Facility.

For those under 16yrs old they must be accompanied by an adult.

Accessibility: The museum consists of one large room with a ground floor and upper gallery; while the ground floor is fully accessible and accessible toilet facilities are available, the gallery, which houses the majority of the fluid-preserved collections, can unfortunately only be reached via stairs.

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Host or Publisher Professor Paul M. Rea