Review Article Indian Journal of Anatomy

445
Volume 7 Number 4, July - August 2018
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21088/ija.2320.0022.7418.17

Importance of Anatomy Act & Body Donation in Teaching and Learning

of Medical Study

Ritu Bala Soni1, Ranjeet Singh Arya2, Abhijeet Yadav3, Sandeep Marshkole4, Sushil Jiwane5

Abstract

Anatomical act means act for supply of unclaimed dead body to authorized medical teaching institute for
purpose of dissection and to knowing internal structure of human body because anatomy teaching become
perfect by the dissection of the dead body. Anatomical act also related with body donation (donated body itself
in living state) body donation is defined as act of giving body after death for medical education and research
purpose. Cadavers/donated bodies form a principle teaching tools for anatomist and to teach gross anatomy.
Practicing of surgical step over cadaver prior to operating a living patient is a good mode in surgical operation.
In this article source of unclaimed body, anatomy act rules and regulation regarding handling of unclaimed body
are discussed
Keywords: Anatomy; Anatomy Act; Body Donation; Unclaimed Body; Cadaver.

Introduction Cutting of human body- means – dissection

Dissecting of cadaver is base for teaching of anatomy.
Anatomy act 1832 (2 & 3 will. IV C.75) is an act In ancient India Susrut [1] dissect human bodies.
of parliament of the united kingdom that gave free Exact knowledge of internal structure of human body
license to doctors, teachers of anatomy and obtained only through dissection of dead body.
bonafied medical students to dissect donated In past there is very few medical college. But with
bodies. It was enacted in response to public time medical institution increase in India. So demand
revulsion act illegal trained corpses. of cadavers for dissection increase.
Anatomical act in Indian context – in India So for fulfill demand of cadaver in medical institute
anatomy act was enacted in 1949 (29 September anatomical act passed/declared by various state of
1949). India.
In this act - anatomy means human anatomy, Most person even medicos are not aware to the
body means a dead human body, teacher of anatomical act, its legal process, rules and
medicine means and includes any person who is regulation. So by this article we are just trying to
employed or engaged as a professor or teacher of set forth of anatomical act to all.
anatomy, pathology, medicine, surgery of obstetrics
in any college of anatomy established under this History
act. This act have been uniformly adopted in all state
of India. Anatomical act is act of state level end published
in the state government gazette.
Anatomy – means – by cutting human body we deal
with internal structure of body In India anatomical act was first enacted in 1948
in Maharashtra (Bombay anatomical act 1949)[2].
Author’s Affiliation: 1-5 Associate Professor, Department According to act if death are occurs in a state
of Anatomy, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
462001, India.
hospital or public place within the prescribed zone
of medical college, then dead body is collected for
Corresponding Author: Ranjeet Singh Arya, Associate Professor, medical college (for teaching purpose).
Department of Anatomy, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh 462001, India. If police found any unclaimed body and if up to 48
E-mail: rasiarya@rediffmail.com hours no one claimed for this body then this body
Received 22.04.2018, Accepted 05.05.2018 handover to medical college for teaching.
Indian
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446 Ritu Bala Soni, Ranjeet Singh Arya, Abhijeet Yadav et al. / Importance of Anatomy Act & Body Donation in
Teaching and Learning of Medical Study

Delhi anatomical act (1953) [3] proved for supply Authorized officer (known as coroner)
unclaimed body of diseases person to medical Authorized officer is government officer who
teaching institute for purpose of anatomical confirm and certified death of an individual with
examination and dissection. It also provides a in a jurisdiction.
procedure for disposal of unclaimed bodies .this
section shall come in to force at once. A coroner also conduct or give order to an
investigation for manners and cause of death.
The Punjab anatomical act (1963) [4] passed for
supply of bodies. According to this act unclaimed When patient dies under treatment in
dead bodies in hospital, prisons, public places could government hospital then authority in charge of
be used for teach in medical institute. hospital should report the death to authorized officer/
coroner to that area.
Mysore anatomical act (1957) which amendment
as Karnataka anatomy act [5] in 1998 effected by If a prisoner dies in a prison then authorities in
Karnataka state defined unclaimed body . charge of prisons should report the death to coroner
of that area and hand over unclaimed body to
Gujarat anatomical act – 6 April 2011. approved institution authority. When any
Now a days Maharashtra anatomical act(2014) unclaimed body found in any place the authorized
taken as reference in all the state . officer can hand over this body to medical teaching
institute. In any suspicious death/murder/
poisoning/suicidal/hanging authorized officer self
Anatomical act applied for– forward unclaimed body to police officer of court of
1. Supply of unclaimed bodies for appropriate criminal procedure.
institution. If there is any doubt that person who claimed are
2. Body donation by a person before death to the relative/family member of dead body telling lie then
medical institution for teaching and research authorized officer should referred to this case to the
purpose . executive magistrate. And his decision will be final if
such decision take time then authorized office would
be responsible for take care and preservation of dead
Unclaimed body body from decay or destroy.
Means body of a deceased person who dies in a If any person orally or in writing has express
hospital prison, public place, whose body has not request of body donation in his/her last time period
be claimed by any near relative/ friends with in of illness or at time of death in presence of two or
prescribed time period. more witness then after his/her death, dead body
shall be donated to medical institute according to as
his/her will.
Near Relative
Death certificate (which state cause of death) signed
Means any of following relative of deceased
by registered medical practitioner attending the
namely wife /husband, parents, son, daughters,
deceased or registered medical practitioner who
brothers or sisters and included any other person
called after the death of deceased person is
who is related to the deceased
necessary. Death certificate always should be
1. by linear consanguinity with in three degree delivered along with dead body to authority in-
2. or by collateral consanguinity with in six degree, charge of an approved institute. Without death
or certificate authority in charge will refused to take
dead body in his institute.
3. by marriage with any of the relative aforesaid.
The authority in charge of that institution on
Linear consanguinity & collateral consanguinity
receiving dead body, with in 24 hours transmit a
assigned in Indian succession act 1925 and degree
copy of such certificate (body donation certificate) to
of relationship shall be computed in manner laid
the executive magistrate or officer appointed and give
down in that act.
in writing details of date, time, place when and where
dead body was received, date and place of death,
Approved institution name, age, gender of body.

Means a hospital or a medical teaching institute Any dead body if exhaled from anatomical
approved by state government. examination due to any cause then under
anatomical act dead body placed in a coffin and

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 Ritu Bala Soni, Ranjeet Singh Arya, Abhijeet Yadav et al. / Importance of Anatomy Act & Body Donation in 447
Teaching and Learning of Medical Study

criminated. A certificate of crimination should be permission of anatomical act by a government

transmitted to executive magistrate or officer in authority none institution can give permission to
charge. student for dissect a dead body for study/research
Any person if no follow rules of anatomical act purpose. In that case it is an offence to dissect or
should be punished with fine up to rate 500. Or use a dead body.
officer and servants of police,medical and public Due to anatomical act unclaimed bodies are used
health department, employee of local officer shall legally in medical institute and after dissection/used
be bound to take all responsibility to assist the body are criminated properly according to social and
authority and officer authorized under this act. All religious costumes. But burial dead body in a dump
officer authorized to under this act shall be pit should be preferred because by this we collect
considered as public-servant. bones of dead body after some months which will be
used in anatomy study .

Discussion
Body Donation and Anatomical Act

How a Institute Registered under Anatomical Act Body donation is a generous and unselfish act for
those who wish to be usefull to the living after death[7].
1. Institution should be a CCIM, AYUSH approved, Donor will help medical student learning and
government recognized and affiliated by research [8].
university for medical study.
Patnik (2002) suggested that one should have the
2. Such institute may be educational or a research habbit of donation voluntary the body after death.
center. Voluntary donation of body is not much different from
3. Curriculum of study should have dissection part donation of organ (eye/kidney/live). Only a wish is
or requirement of a dead body for study. needed. Decision of any individual to donate his /
her body for anatomical examination is a vital
4. They should apply for permission of anatomical
contribution toward understanding and
act to the secretary and director of state
advancement of medical science.
government under medical education and drug
department. Peoples should have a motivation to donate there
body after death. According to anatomical act
5. A notification is passed to institution by
registration of individual for their will of self body
government that declared approval for anatomical
donation is must prior to his/her death. Willingness
act of that institution (Medical teaching or
form (body donation form) available at approved
research center).
institution or college.
6. Institution should take no objection certificate
Body can be donated even if ‘willingness form’ is
(NOC) from civil surgeon and medical health
not filled prior to death ,according to wish of person
officer or municipality and police commissioner.
getting die, his/her family member can donate after
7. This government notification should be written consent of them.
published in state government gazette.
Body now preserved by embalming procedure
8. After publishing government notification in state and kept in a preservative formalin (most
government gazette, institution (Medical teaching commonly) in a registered institute under
or research center) should try to approach for anatomical act.
demand of dead body to coroner court with
In the institution body is used for study purpose
undertaking that body will used for study
under all legal rules, regulation and ethics related
purpose.
to anatomical act. After using of dead body
incriminated or worried in a dump pit for a
Importance of Anatomical act purpose of collection of bones (skeleton) for
As there were number of medical college increases, anatomy study.
demand of unclaimed body increase day by day. It is
very necessary to maintain/enacted anatomical act Body Unacceptable for An Anatomical Donation
at national level to fulfill the demand of (unclaimed) 1. Extreme obesity
body in medical teaching institution or research center 2. Autopsied body
by which there teaching quality and research work
get improved. Unless institution have a legal 3. Decomposed body

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448 Ritu Bala Soni, Ranjeet Singh Arya, Abhijeet Yadav et al. / Importance of Anatomy Act & Body Donation in
Teaching and Learning of Medical Study

4. Extreme emaciation Cantarovich (2005) [10] studies that lack of

5. Death from contagious or communicable awareness, religious uncertainties are most common
disease eg. HIV, factor due to which people cannot donate
body. Government should encourage and promote
6. Suicide or homicide voluntary donation of dead bodies. For this
7. Removal of organs and tissue (except for eye/ maximum awareness and education propagated in
corneal donation). to general people. Importance and reward give who
donate their body.
Acceptances or rejection of a dead body is a decision
make at time of donation by medical institution
authority. Under the law institution have right to reject Conclusion
a body donation for any reason.
Importance of body donation
Anatomical act help in fulfill the increasing
For student and researcher body donation has demand of cadavers in medical teaching institution
proved as a great opportunity to study the human and research centers . By dissection on cadaver
body. Computer program, text book can not replicate medical student learn anatomy and they become
the hands- on methods of teaching human perfect surgeon by practicing surgical step on
anatomy. In teaching of human anatomy no substitute cadaver, prior to surgery on living .
for human body, learning through dissection of
human cadaver is far superior and very different that
the learning by text book/computer program. The use References
of human body in medical education and research is
in tradition since a very old time and represent a
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chaper 5; verse no 49; 3rd edition; varanasi; Choukhambha
Factors responsible for donor’s attitude towards body Orientalia 2007;101.
donation 2. Bombay high court india ,bombay anatomical act,
Fennell and Jones (1992) reported that the most 1949 http://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/liveweb/act//
common reason for making the body cadaver is a 1949. 11.pdf (accessed 13 december2014).
very useful aid in medical science and gratitude to 3. Delhi anatomical act 1956,complete act – Bare act,
medical profession. http://www.legalcrystal.com/act/134716/del-anatomy-
act-1953-complete (act accessed 06 janualry 2015).
Sanner(1997) in a study concluded that if one is
prepared to give body with in live , then another 4. The Punjab Anatomy Act,1963. http://www.laws:
family/society member is also mentally prepared to oindia.org/statelaw/3481/ The Punjab Anatomy
Act1963.html(accessed by 1 January 2015).
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not donating bodies. Karnatica;1(3):66-69. The karnataka anatomical act,1957
http://www.lawsofindia.org/statelaw/2318the
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Anatomical Karnataka 2000;1(1);32-33.
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learning a review. JASI; 2007;56(1):44-47.
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Indian Journal of Anatomy / Volume 7 Number 4 / July - August 2018