The first patient: Reflections and stories about the anatomy cadaver

Abstract

Dissecting a human cadaver is an important step in the professionalization of medical students, but its transformative aspects (e.g., the potential to teach detached concern, empathy, compassion, and peer accountability) are rarely considered in medical curricula. At SUNY Stony Brook we begin our 4‐year medical humanities curriculum by focusing on systematic reflection about dissection. For their first paper in the Medicine in Contemporary Society course, students write a three‐ to five‐page narrative, recounting either their personal response to dissection (essay) or an imagined life story of their cadaver (fiction). The assignment includes two sequential versions of the paper, each critiqued by faculty and peers, and ends with small‐group discussion. In the first 2 years, narratives were almost evenly split between essay and fiction. Seven themes categorized most student responses: initial apprehension; detachment; curiosity about the cadaver's person; the need for student‐cadaver connection; self‐questioning about the motivation to donate one's body; gratitude; and religious or existential reflection. In writing a narrative about their cadavers, students were able to explore their experience of personal change and articulate goals for professional development. Consistent with our emphasis on problem‐based learning, this exercise allows students, in a sense, to fashion their own curriculum while modeling peer evaluation and accountability.