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Previous Volume 338:846 March 19, 1998 Number 12 Next

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By Albert Howard Carter III. 308 pp. New York, Picador, 1997. $24. ISBN 0-312-16840-3.

Dissection of the human cadaver is the first rite of initiation into the medical profession for virtually every medical student. Whatever its obvious practical educational value, human anatomy lab carries enormous symbolic value as a sort of hazing ritual. Touching and exploring a dead body violates deep taboos of our society, which shuns death. For this reason, the medical student's lay friends and relatives typically are intensely curious: What was it like? Did you faint? Were you squeamish? Most medical students have difficulty responding properly; the emotional impact of anatomy lab tends to get dissipated in the whirlwind of stress . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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