The public face of anatomy? History-informed ethical analysis of human plastination and its relevance for today

Abstract

The last thirty years have seen an increased presence of plastination companies within the anatomy profession and in the public domain. Engagement with the dissected human body, once almost exclusively accessible to healthcare professionals, has been commodified through public displays. As a result, plastination companies and their products have become a de facto “public face of anatomy,” including commercial enterprises that manufacture and sell plastinated human tissues for educational purposes. The ongoing cultural normalization accompanying both the public engagement and commercial activities of plastination companies is ethically problematic. To counteract this normalization, this article provides detailed information on the history of plastination and its contested practices and analyzes the ethical concerns associated with the public display of human remains, including reflections on edutainment versus education. Also addressed is the commodification and commercialization of the deceased encouraged by these exhibits. Whereas for-profit plastination companies anonymize, objectify, and commodify the human body, the new ethos of anatomy education is focused on the shared humanity of body donors, learners, and educators and promotes humanistic educational concepts and practices, including in the use of ethically sourced human plastinates. Based on this history-informed ethical analysis, suggestions are provided for anatomists to help reverse this normalization around the commodification of the human body and instead make visible the public face of anatomy as a discipline based on robust ethical standards and respect for the dead. This will help ensure the practice of anatomy remains congruent with societal expectations and maintains its central role in healthcare education.