Essay From ‘‘Silent Teachers’ ’ to Models

Abstract: For decades, embalmed cadavers have played an important role in teaching anatomy to the scientists and doctors of the future. Most anatomy departments use a traditional formaldehyde-based embalming method, but formalin embalming makes the bodies very rigid, which limits their usefulness for procedures other than dissec-tion. A more recent embalming method developed by W. Thiel has allowed these ‘‘silent teachers’’ to take on a further role in applied anatomy research and teaching: to act as models for surgical training and medical research