Attached
Introduction and objectives
Cadaver dissection and exposure to skeleton is
currently in practice in ail medical faculties
worldwide. Although the usage of natural
bones is recommended in learning anatomy,
due to the legal and ethical issues, the
availability of natural bones to medical
students is decreasing. The objective of this
study was to develop a method to prepare dry
bones from dissected cadaver waste.
Method
Dissected cadaver specimens were cleaned
and disarticulated at large joints. Long bones
were dipped in boiling chamber and
potassium hydroxide (KOH) was added to a
ratio of KOH: Bone weight = 5g:lkg.
Specimens containing small bones were
wrapped in a steel-mesh. The specimens
containing long and small bones were boiled
for 5 & 2 hours respectively and buried in
plastic buckets containing red-soil and
compost. Lactobacilli bacterial solution was
added to increase the decaying process since
the formalinized tissues resist decaying. After
3 months bones were recovered and re-boiled
for disinfection, left to air dry and varnished.
Results
Bones retained original morphometry and the
method produced higher numbers, utilizing
minimum space in a short time period^
Preparation of bones by burial of formalin
preserved body parts takes an extensively
long time to decay. This method, reduces the
load of dissected human tissue which needs to
be removed and buried in a cemetery and
thereby greatly reduces the maintenance cost
of a dissecting laboratory.
Conclusions
Already formalinized bones should last long
and have high durability as published by
Ohman et al,.2008. This novel method is an
effective method of reutilizing human cadaver
waste by preparing dry bones.
