november - december 2013€¦ · page 1 2013 – chairman’s thoughts – wendy birch page 44 news...

Institute of Anatomical Sciences Magazine No. 145

Please visit the IAS website: http://www.anatomical-sciences.org.uk/

1 Editor: John Ben, 7(b) Merton Court, Stapleford, Nottingham, NG9 8LF, U.K. Email [email protected]

2013 Chairman’s Thoughts By Wendy Birch

It seems like only last week that I was stressing over what to write for the ‘2012 Chairman’s

Thoughts’. Time passes so quickly and with our ever increasing workloads there seems to be even less

time available to catch a breath! However, despite this, the council has achieved some amazing things

this year!

2013 started off with the usual January council meeting. At this meeting, it was decided to change

the start of the membership year from May to January in order to make the membership finances

easier to manage. This change also provides a clear cut-off date for members who, like me, keep

forgetting to pay in May! Meanwhile, Lynsey has completely reorganised the membership database

and points system and she has been responsible for designing and issuing new plastic membership

cards to each member as they either join or renew their membership. At the time of writing there

are currently 261 active IAS members. Our strategy for 2014 is to increase this number and

encourage more students and overseas members to join and Lynsey will be leading the regional reps in

her plan for complete world domination!

Thanks goes to Sandra, our wonderful new treasurer, who has also been very busy and has done an

amazing job reorganising and streamlining the accounts, as well as chasing up non-payers. A word of

warning: beware if you owe any fees - she will get you!!!! Sandra and Web Lord Laurence have been

working together to instigate an online system whereby members will be able to pay their

subscriptions and meeting fees by ‘NoChex’. The use of NoChex will simplify the accounting and

ensure that everyone who attends meetings is a fully paid up member. By the time of the Spring

meeting, it is hoped that all meeting payments will be made via this online system. The use of NoChex

will also appeal to our overseas members who will be able to pay in their own currency, which will then

be converted to £, again hopefully increasing our overseas membership.

Garry has done a fantastic job attracting sponsors. This year, our meetings have been generously

sponsored by Adam Rouilly, Dodge, EEP, ESP, LEEC, Omega, Vickers and Wolfvision. Over £2500 was

received in sponsorship fees for the Dublin scientific meeting. This sponsorship funding is used to

help subsidise scientific meetings, with the aim of keeping costs as low as possible for members.

Furthermore, Garry has completely streamlined the sponsorship system and as a result this system

has become more transparent and easier to explain to potential sponsors. Thanks go to Garry for his

work and to each of our sponsors for their support. Garry has also recently initiated the ‘IAS

Facebook Page’, which kicked off with some very interesting anatomical fashion accessories and the

usual ‘humerus’ posts that only anatomists appreciate. If you are a FB user, please join us and have a

look at this very non-work based page. (See page 4 on how to join us on Facebook – Ed)

November - December 2013 Institute of Anatomical Sciences, 2013

2013 – Chairman’s Thoughts – Wendy Birch Page 44 News From Members – Jan Smit

Page 3 Forthcoming Meetings & Dates for your Diary Page 45 Quiz – by Robin O’Sullivan

Page 5 Membership News – Lynsey French Page 46 Curio Corner by Benedictus

Page 7 News Up-dates From Around The World Page 47 And finally --- The works of Heather Jansch

Page 42 The Interview – Erica Gummery Page 51 Sponsors of the IAS.




Dave and Terry have resurrected the suggestion that we apply for charitable status and hopefully

this will be discussed in more detail with the membership at the next AGM.

Carys has recently stepped in to the role of secretary and has already started chasing up the

membership team. She is doing a great job organising us all.

The web page and forum managed by Web Lord Laurence continues to be a great success - last month

the site reported 560 unique hits. The forum continues to be a great place for members to find

answers to their work-related questions.

Jes has taken on the role of editor for the newsletter supplement, which means that each month

members now receive some form of anatomical news update: although most of the articles included

are extremely educational, some are a little more tongue in cheek and more light-hearted. This

supplement is a great way to keep up to date with what is happening further afield – great work, Jes.

The Spring meeting took place at UCL and ran smoothly, with the help of Laurence and Jodie (thanks

guys!). Again, Garry’s success at obtaining sponsorship helped to fund memory sticks, notepads and

lanyards for the membership. Unfortunately, the pens that had been ordered had a slight spelling

mistake and were hurriedly returned!

The June council meeting achieved the highest level of attendance of council members; a total of 23

people turned up. As a result of this ‘monster meeting’, it was suggested that the idea of separate

council teams, which was originally proposed by John 2009, be implemented. It is hoped that this will

achieve even more work and hopefully further improve the institute.

The Autumn meeting at Trinity was another great success, with Jan’s hard work paying off with the

largest number of competition entries ever experienced. An all-time high of student entries was the

result of a suggestion by new Vet Rep, Sarah, to award a year’s free membership to each student

entry in order to encourage an increase in student membership – a stroke of genius!

The 2014 Spring meeting will mark the 30th Anniversary of the IAS and I am looking forward to see

what Steve and Paul can arrange for us - each meeting seems to get better and better. This is the

result of a huge amount of work. I saw first-hand how much work they do when they came to UCL to

organise the 2013 spring meeting – brilliant job!

A huge thank you to Chris who has been managing the IAS administration superbly. As a result,

meetings have become more streamlined and each council member knows exactly what they need to

do and by when – thank you Chris.

A really humungous thank you goes to John, without whom I would not be able to function as

chairman. John has done a fantastic job of organising me and prompting me when I forget things, and

he has been really patient when my daily work has prevented me from working on IAS stuff. John has

also managed to find time to issue a newsmagazine every other month, and all on top of implementing

the council teams. Oh the joy of retirement!

Each member of the council has worked so hard this year and I would like to thank each one of them

for their dedication and effort. I am looking forward to another busy but productive year working

with the council to help make the IAS even more successful and to fulfil Lynsey’s dream of Total

World Domination!

Seasons greeting everyone and the warmest wishes to you all for the new year!

Hope to see you all in Liverpool for the 30th Anniversary.

Best wishes,

Wendy


Please visit the IAS website:

Editor: John Ben, 7(b) Merton

Forthcoming Meetings

Following on from the very successful meeting at Trinity College, Dublin, the IAS

is delighted to announce the first meeting of our

hosted by the University of Liverpool

with a mixture of high quality talks and the [in]famous

Thursday 10th April 2014 from late morning

Registration, AGM, talks and conference dinner

Friday 11th April 2014 Morning

Talks and tour

I will give more details in the next news magazine

accommodation options. Payment will be available on line via Nochex, it would help

greatly if you can let me

attend, as this will allow us to plan accommodation and Catering.

Many thanks to Dee Tully, Lynne Jones and the staff of the

Resource Centre for all their work and enthusiasm in the running of this event,

which will continue the high quality of meetings to which we have all become

accustomed to.

Best wishes to you all

Stephen Franey

IAS meeting coordinator

Symposium II IFAA 8

Legal and ethical aspects of body donation worldwide.

This symposium will discuss different aspects of Body donation for the use in

anatomical teaching and research in the different parts of the world.

religion have an impact whether human bodies can be used, legal and

and views as well as preservation

of human bodies in medical sciences. Therefore, it is essential

bodies are used, discuss legal and

practice in body donation.



ton Court, Stapleford, Nottingham, NG9 8LF, U.K. Email john.emi

Forthcoming Meetings


is delighted to announce the first meeting of our 30th Anniversary year

University of Liverpool. Undoubtedly this will be a joyous occasion

with a mixture of high quality talks and the [in]famous Liverpudlian

April 2014 from late morning

Registration, AGM, talks and conference dinner

April 2014 Morning

ve more details in the next news magazine including prices and


greatly if you can let me {[email protected]}know if you are

attend, as this will allow us to plan accommodation and Catering.

Many thanks to Dee Tully, Lynne Jones and the staff of the

for all their work and enthusiasm in the running of this event,


IAS meeting coordinator

Symposium II IFAA 8-10 August 2014 Beijing



anatomical teaching and research in the different parts of the world.

have an impact whether human bodies can be used, legal and

and views as well as preservation techniques, especially plastination,

human bodies in medical sciences. Therefore, it is essential to make the point how

dies are used, discuss legal and ethical aspects and come up with a guide for good

in body donation.


3 [email protected]


Anniversary year will be

Undoubtedly this will be a joyous occasion

Liverpudlian hospitably!

including prices and


know if you are planning to

Many thanks to Dee Tully, Lynne Jones and the staff of the Human Anatomy

for all their work and enthusiasm in the running of this event,




anatomical teaching and research in the different parts of the world. Tradition and

have an impact whether human bodies can be used, legal and ethical directives

influence the use

to make the point how

ethical aspects and come up with a guide for good




From Dr Roberta Ballestriero,

Associate Lecturer at The Open University in North West, Manchester

Dear Friends of Arts and Sciences,

Next year, 4-8 September 2014, they will celebrate the five hundred years since the birth

of Andreas Vesalius, considered the founder of modern anatomy, with a number of events

and a great congress in the island of Zakynthos Greece: "Vesalius Continuum."

The full calendar of events is available at:

www.vesalius2014.be<http://www.vesalius2014.be/>

Beside the congress, exhibition, a new monument and a music concert the organization is

working on another project, a documentary film: Fabrica Vitae, reflecting on the fabric of

life and trying to collect founds through this link:

www.kickstarter.com/projects/3602722/fabrica-vitae-reflecting-on-the-fabric-of-

life<http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3602722/fabrica-vitae-reflecting-on-the-

fabric-of-life>

Please feel free to circulate this information between colleagues and friends that may be

interested.

Many thanks in advance for your attention.

Kind regards

Dr Roberta Ballestriero

.f. FaceBook Institute of Anatomical Sciences

country (or overseas) to see if any local IAS members there are free to meet them for a

meal or a pint while they are there!

So far we have 48 members who have been successfully ‘piloting’ the page, but now we are

ready to role this out to EVERYONE in the IAS. If you want to be able to access this

new social page, please contact Garry Thomson at St Andrews University via

Facebook, or email me at the address at the bottom of this page - Ed

Thanks to Garry Thomson, our own PRO, the

Institute now has its own FaceBook page!

The page is a ‘closed group’ which means you

need to be ‘invited’ to join and it cannot be

accessed or viewed by non-members, but it

is open to all IAS members to use.

It is intended to be for social chat and

humour, and an obvious use is for members who plan to visit another town or part of the




Membership News

What a great year it has been for new members for the IAS. From January to mid-

November 2013 we have had 54 new members from both Medical and Veterinary Anatomy.

We have seen a great increase in the amount of student members this year and thanks

goes to our new Student Recruitment Team for playing their part in this. The main focus

of this group is to discuss student recruitment and see what the IAS can offer student

members. We all feel that aiming towards students is a great way to increase the number

of members. The team consists of me, Jan Smit ([email protected] ), Sarah Nicoll

([email protected] ), Joy Balta ([email protected] ) and Gary Perry ([email protected] ).

We have made one change so far and this involves full time students who are non- IAS

members who enter the Student Dissection Prize competition. For their £5 entry fee they

will receive one years’ free membership to the IAS on the basis they fill in a Standing

Order Mandate for future years’ membership. Student membership is currently charged at

£15 so by entering the competition they are saving £10. The relevant forms can be

obtained from any of the student recruitment team and they are also available on the

website under the Prize Competitions section. We will keep all members up to date with any

future changes the team make. If any of you out there have any ideas on recruitment or

what we can offer to students/non-students, please get in touch.

The renewal date and price for membership fees will be changing to January 1st annually.

This means that your subscription for 2014 will be due on January 1st 2014. The price will

now be as follows:

• Full membership £30 per year

• Student/Retired membership £15 per year

I will E-mail all members by the end of November with the renewal form and also a

Standing Order Mandate if people wish to pay by standing order. If you already have a

Standing Order set up I am happy for you to alter the amount yourselves as long as you let

me know (I will be keeping a close eye in January to see that those Standing Orders have

been changed!) or you can fill in the new form and return it to me to process for you. We

are currently in the process of organising membership payments online via the members’

forum which will hopefully make it quicker and easier for you as members to pay your fees.

This is not active yet but we are hoping for it to be set up in time for renewal payments in

January. I will E-mail all members when the online payment system is up and running.

If you have joined towards the end of the 2013 please check your membership card and

this will tell you when your current payment will expire. If you would like to send your

payments anytime in December before you head off for Christmas breaks that would be

much appreciated. A membership card will be sent out as receipt of your payment.

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing

what 2014 will bring to the IAS.

Lynsey French (Membership Secretary)

[email protected]




This month we would like to give a welcome to 23 new members

They are from Queen's University Belfast:

Sarah Woollatt

Matthew Todd

Mustafa Hendawy

Rachel Currie

Joe Newton - University College London

Rebecca Chilvers - University of Liverpool

And from the Royal Veterinary College, London:

Rebecca Bostock

Catherine Tindale

Sabrina Kong

Yeon Joon Park

Sarah Woollatt

Iain Brunt

Katrina Jackson

Carolyn Hylton

Emily Singer-Ripley

Beth Reilly

Jonathon Mark Holt

Alison Pope

Kjerstin Østenseth

Eloise Quince

Dayna Furusawa

Xue Fei Lo

Verity Thurston

A warm welcome to you all!

Lynsey French,

Membership Secretary

Education Certificate of Anatomical Technology and Science (CATS)

Phillip Hammond, Teaching Technician in the School of

Veterinary Medicine and Science (University of

Nottingham), was presented with his certificate of

Anatomical Technology and Science. Council would again

like to congratulate Phil for the completion of the

certificate.

If you would like to register to complete the

Certificate, information can be found on the IAS

website at http://www.anatomical-

sciences.org.uk/education/cats.htm




News ‘ up-dates ’ from around the World

Anatomy

Vol 380 January 12, 2012

The art of medicine Mangling the dead: dissection, past and present With thanks to Lindsey Fitzharris for permission to reproduce this article

over her before we began poking, prodding, and pulling her to pieces.”

The idea that the anatomisation of the body is tantamount to “hacking”, “distorting”, or “disfiguring” what once was a

living human being has troubled medical students for centuries. In 1663, the Danish physician, Thomas Bartholin,

wrote that one must partake in “mangling the dead so that he may know the living”. A century later, the Master of

Anatomy to the Company of Surgeons declared to those around him: “I think few who now look upon that miserable

mangled object before us, can ever forget it.” Then, as now, confronting a cadaver could be a distressing event. But

the unsanitary conditions of the past often made the experience even more traumatic.

Unlike the sterile laboratories of today, the “dead house” from previous centuries was a very different place. One

medical student from the 19th century described the “swarms of sparrows fighting for scraps” and the “rats in the

corner gnawing bleeding vertebrae”. The dissection theatre was bloody, smelly, and filled with all kinds of animals

and insects trying to feast on the decomposing bodies, some of which had been plucked from the grave after a couple

of days in the ground. In letters, diaries, and medical notes from Europe during the Enlightenment, I often comes

across descriptions of “decaying flesh”, “rancid corpses”, and “putrid stenches”—not the “slightly sweet, clinical

smell” that some medical practitioners remember today. In a letter dated Oct 8, 1793, James Williams—a 16-year-old

English surgical student—described his living quarters in John Hunter’s anatomy school in London as “a little

perfumed”. The 17th-century German surgeon, Lorenz Heister, was not as delicate in his descriptions. He

I never feel more alive than when I am standing

among the rows and rows of anatomical

specimens at St Bartholomew’s Pathology

Museum in London, UK. In one jar floats the

remains of an ulcerated stomach; in another, the

hands of a suicide victim. Cabinets are filled with

syphilitic skulls, arthritic joints, and cancerous

bones. The unborn sit alongside the aged;

murderers occupy the same space as the murdered.

As a medical historian, I have a professional

interest in the collection as part of a project on late

17th-century surgery. Occasionally, however, I

catch a glimpse of veins and arteries dangling

from a severed wrist—or the bloated face of a

child who died long ago—and I reflect on the

actual surgeons and anatomists who cut up these

dead bodies. How did they overcome the

emotional and physical realities of dissection?

And how do contemporary experiences in the

dissection room compare with those from the

past?

A few months ago, I sat down with my mother, a

registered nurse, and we talked about her first

dissection. She spoke with intense clarity as if it

had happened only yesterday: “She was a woman

in her 30s, younger than I was then, who had died

from toxic shock syndrome. I felt sorry for her.”

My mother paused as the memories flooded over

her. “I wanted to cover her body with a blanket,

not because she was naked…I don’t know. I just

thought she’d be more comfortable with a blanket

over

William Cheselden giving an anatomical demonstration to six spectators in

the anatomy theatre of theBarber-Surgeons’ Company, London (c. 1730–40)




recommended that “Students in Surgery should not only be furnished with Strength of Body, but constancy of Mind”

so that they remain “unmolested and unmoved by Stench, Blood, Pus and Nastiness that will naturally occur to them”

during their practice.

There were plenty of young men who entered their anatomy lessons only to discover they did not have the “constancy

of Mind” required to endure the realities of dissection. The composer, Hector Berlioz, who attended medical school in

Paris in 1821 “leapt out of the window, and fled as though Death and all his hideous crew were at my heels” the first

time he entered what he described as a “human charnel-house”. Berlioz claimed that it was “twenty-four hours before

I recovered from the shock” and was able to return to the dissection theatre. Thomas Platter the Younger, a 16th-

century Swiss physician, was haunted by the memories of his first dissection. During the first week of his lessons, he

dreamt he had feasted upon human flesh. When he awoke in the middle of the night, he vomited.

Many, however, did learn to adapt over time. Bit by bit, piece by piece, they began to view the body not as a person

but as an object. Some surgeons and physicians were even able to cut open the bodies of relatives. The French

anatomist, Guillaume Rondelet, caused an uproar in 1538 when he publicly dissected the body of his infant son, whilst

William Harvey undertook private dissections on both his father and his sister during the 16th century. These men, of

course, were exceptional, but it does illustrate the extent to which one could become detached from the dissected

body.

This made me wonder about medical students today. How did their experiences compare to those from earlier

periods? To find out, I interviewed several doctors about their earliest memories in the dissection room. From these

conversations, I discovered that many medical students are just as apprehensive about their first encounters with a

cadaver as their predecessors. Erica Lilly, a general practitioner in Canada, remembers her unease as the cadaver’s

head was unwrapped from its plastic covering during her first anatomy lesson. The face did not look human “as much

as it looked like a mask”, she says, her voice laced with emotion. Similarly, Jennifer Kasten, Research Fellow at the

Department of Surgery of the University of California, Los Angeles, recalls the “muffled crying” from some of her

fellow students as the body bags were unzipped for the very first time. She describes the first cut as “one of quiet and

awed intensity”. For her, it was an “initiation into the mysteries of medicine”. The physical act of cutting open a dead

body was only one of the challenges that interviewees mentioned during the course of our conversations. The odour

was also an obstacle. Thomas Waite, Specialty Registrar in Public Health in Wales, remembers it vividly: “I’ll never

forget [the smell]...At the end of the year I threw away the only set of clothes I wore under my dissection coat because

no amount of washing could get rid of it.”

The sensory experiences of those working in the earlier periods would have differed greatly from those of Waite. To

better understand what medical students in earlier periods might have felt when first confronted with the rotting flesh

of unpreserved corpses, I turned to William MacLehose, a medical historian at University College London. Several

years ago, he visited the “Body Farm”, the University of Tennessee’s Anthropology Research Facility in Knoxville,

TN, USA, where human decomposition is studied. When I asked MacLehose to describe his reaction to what he saw

on the Body Farm, he struggles to find words, pointing out that “words will always have some level of distance to

them” that cannot fully capture the “raw and horrific” experience he had when he first visited the research facility. He

confesses that the “safe, stale, academic references” he had in his mind before his visit were no preparation for the

reality he faced: “I remember wishing I hadn’t gone”, he admits. The realities that awaited the young surgical student

during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries were grim. These were not the bloodless bodies of today—with their

preserved limbs and starched linens. Indeed, Kasten tells me that she found the “lack of particular smells” in the

dissection room to be “surprising”. Even when slicing open the colon and “squeezing out the long toothpaste-like

stream of feces”, she was not met with the familiar “human smells” one might expect.

Today, cadavers are cloaked in anonymity. Yet, I was surprised by the frequency with which questions about a

specimen’s former humanity came up during my interviews. Lilly remembers the first time she looked upon the feet

of a cadaver. She wondered if those feet “had walked on the beach”; if those “toes had ever had sand between them?”

Similarly, Waite often thinks back to an elderly man he dissected during anatomy lessons. Aside from some

atherosclerosis, the man belied his age. Waite remembers being struck that one can achieve great age with so little

evidence of disease after death. 12 years later, he still had questions: had this man “walked with a frame or unaided?”

Did he “maintain his independence or was he mentally more frail in life than his physical organs appeared in death?” I

believe these questions speak less about the dead than they do the living. Focusing on the humanity of the corpse

sometimes serves as a distraction from one’s own sense of inhumanity as a dissector. It is a small comfort to those

faced with the task of cutting open a dead body. “We worried there was something defective about us”, Kasten

reflects, “that we were so easily able to go about cutting up a person into his constituent parts in a methodical,

emotionless way”. After all, she admits, “our new normal really was very abnormal”.

Lindsey Fitzharris The School of History, Queen Mary, University of London,




i09 We Come From THE FUTURE

Flirty anatomical illustrations of people

Above right is another Casserio / Fialetti collaboration, also from 1627:

for more flayed men and corpses showing off their innards.

York Academy of Medicine via Radiolab

University anatomy department create 3D body model

Professor Gordon Findlater with the human hologram. Picture: Greg Macvean

Gordon Findlater, Professor of Translational Anatomy at Edinburgh University, said: “Teaching the true 3D structure

of the human body to medical students can be challenging when teaching material is largely all in 2D.

this hologram and others that we make in future, will introduce our students to a novel and innovative way of

visualising 3D anatomy.” William Burke and

1800s. Over ten months in 1828, the pair murdered 16 people and sold the corpses of their victims to Dr Robert Knox

as dissection material for his well-attended anatomy lectures.

Burke was hanged for his crimes, while Hare was freed after he confessed and agreed to testify against Burke.

skeleton is displayed at the Anatomy Museum along with his death mask and items made from his tanned skin are

exhibited at Surgeons’ Hall. The hologram was produced in collaboration with university anatomists and Scottish

company Holoxica, one of the world’s leading research companies in holographic 3D displays. It was commissioned

by the university’s School of Biomedical Sciences and is to g

coming months.




We Come From THE FUTURE U.S.A

Flirty anatomical illustrations of people stripping their skin

Fialetti collaboration, also

for more flayed men and corpses showing off their innards. Dream Anatomy [National Library of Medicine via

Radiolab]


Professor Gordon Findlater with the human


body to medical students can be challenging when teaching material is largely all in 2D.


visualising 3D anatomy.” William Burke and William Hare were Irish immigrants living in Edinburgh during the

Over ten months in 1828, the pair murdered 16 people and sold the corpses of their victims to Dr Robert Knox

attended anatomy lectures.

anged for his crimes, while Hare was freed after he confessed and agreed to testify against Burke.


The hologram was produced in collaboration with university anatomists and Scottish


by the university’s School of Biomedical Sciences and is to go on display at different sites across the university in the

These macabre illustrations add a bit of winking humor to

anatomical art. Never shy, the subjects of these images

perform a grim striptease, peeling off their skin instead of

their clothes.

Michael Sappol has collected numerous whimsical

anatomical illustrations, made from 1500 on, for his

National Library of Medicine exhibition

Anatomy." The piece top left was created by anatomist

Giulio Casserio and artist Odoardo Fialetti in 1627, and its

peek-a-boo tenor, Sappol explains, is apparently

intentional: Some of Casserio’s plates stage a not

flirtation. Here the model coyly hides behind a veil of his

own body tissue as he bares his innards.

If these sorts of amusing grotesqueries are your cup of

anatomical tea, dive into Sappol's Dream Anatomy gallery

for

A NEW 3D hologram of the human body, created by Edinburgh

University, would have put infamous cadaver collectors Burke and Hare

out of business.

The first anatomy teaching tool of its kind is to be unveiled today at

Edinburgh University’s Anatomy Museum. The life

shows muscle structures, skeleton, internal organs, blood vessels and

nerves viewed from different angles. Visitors will be able to vi

display, which is the largest anatomical hologram ever made.

image of a female body stands at 1.7 metres high and it is hoped that by

studying it, it will help medical students understand of the complexity of

the human anatomy in addition to traditional study of cadavers and

textbooks.


9 [email protected]

stripping their skin

[National Library of Medicine via New



body to medical students can be challenging when teaching material is largely all in 2D. We hope that


William Hare were Irish immigrants living in Edinburgh during the

Over ten months in 1828, the pair murdered 16 people and sold the corpses of their victims to Dr Robert Knox

anged for his crimes, while Hare was freed after he confessed and agreed to testify against Burke. Burke’s


The hologram was produced in collaboration with university anatomists and Scottish


o on display at different sites across the university in the

These macabre illustrations add a bit of winking humor to

anatomical art. Never shy, the subjects of these images

perform a grim striptease, peeling off their skin instead of

has collected numerous whimsical

anatomical illustrations, made from 1500 on, for his

National Library of Medicine exhibition "Dream

was created by anatomist

o Casserio and artist Odoardo Fialetti in 1627, and its

boo tenor, Sappol explains, is apparently

Some of Casserio’s plates stage a not-so-subtle

flirtation. Here the model coyly hides behind a veil of his

s innards.

If these sorts of amusing grotesqueries are your cup of

Dream Anatomy gallery

A NEW 3D hologram of the human body, created by Edinburgh

University, would have put infamous cadaver collectors Burke and Hare

teaching tool of its kind is to be unveiled today at

The life-size teaching device

shows muscle structures, skeleton, internal organs, blood vessels and

Visitors will be able to view the 3D

display, which is the largest anatomical hologram ever made. The 3D

image of a female body stands at 1.7 metres high and it is hoped that by

studying it, it will help medical students understand of the complexity of

to traditional study of cadavers and




Ohio medical students form emotional

connection with donated bodies

By KRISTA RAMSEY The Cincinnati Enquirer

CINCINNATI — The first time University of Cincinnati medical student Priya Srivastava worked on a body that had

been donated for medical study, she didn't just see a body. She saw a life.

the person had spent time in the sun. The

examined the brain that "this is someone's memory

Medical schools call the donated bodies the students' first patient. And the emotional connection they make

spend 10 to 12 weeks working with the same body in different areas of anatomical study

such profound gratitude that many, like Srivastava, plan to make the donation themselves one day.

to me about who these people were in life, that they donated the one thing they had from the moment of conception,"

Srivastava says. "A body is the vessel that holds

truly unselfish."

Saturday, Srivastava came as close as she could to thanking the donors when she spoke before nearly 500 of their

family members and friends at the medical school's annu

Her message: that their loved one's gift would forever shape her work and her life.

This year, 157 individuals were recognized for donations dating back to 2007. UC's body donation program, which

began in 1934, is one of the largest in the nation, with 420 bodies accepted each year and 12,200 people registered to

donate at death. In comparison, Ohio State University's School of Medicine accepts 200 bodies per year and has 4,100

people on its registry, and Case Western Reserve's School of Medicine accepts 120 bodies annually, with a registry of

about 4,000.

Even as computer instruction grows more sophisticated, the bodies still provide irreplaceable lessons. The perfect

two-dimensional image students see on a radiographic film or computer screen doesn't come close to the intricacy and

complexity that come with first-hand study of the human form.

The bodies, which are in use for one to five years, are used for anatomy studies with a smaller number used

research in developing new surgical techniques.

remains are either returned to their families or interred at a plot at Spring Grove Cemetery, below a memorial marker

that reads, "Through their thoughtfulness knowledge grows."

It's the message Angela Benjamin used when she told her children about their grandfather Dale West's decision to be

both an organ donor and to donate his body. "I have so much admiration for him being so selfless

so strongly about it, and he gave so much."

getting his ashes back and going to this service, we have the essence of him back."

Dr. Bruce Giffin, vice chair of the d

a rare chance for medical faculty and students to say thanks for a donation crucial to training and the good practice of

medicine.

Whether or not the families realized it Satur

sang for them "All Good Gifts" and "There'll Be Joy!" were all medical students.

contribution, of people who in the end did the most generous thing anyone c

invite their families that they're reliving their grief, but when they walk out, we see their peace."





connection with donated bodies

The Cincinnati Enquirer

first time University of Cincinnati medical student Priya Srivastava worked on a body that had

been donated for medical study, she didn't just see a body. She saw a life. The brown spots on the forearms that said

the person had spent time in the sun. The damage inflicted by cancer. The humbling, riveting revelation when she

examined the brain that "this is someone's memory — that could be the memory of their first child."

Medical schools call the donated bodies the students' first patient. And the emotional connection they make

spend 10 to 12 weeks working with the same body in different areas of anatomical study —

t many, like Srivastava, plan to make the donation themselves one day.


Srivastava says. "A body is the vessel that holds the soul. For them to give us such an important part of themselves is


family members and friends at the medical school's annual body donation dedication ceremony at Kresge Auditorium.

Her message: that their loved one's gift would forever shape her work and her life.


egan in 1934, is one of the largest in the nation, with 420 bodies accepted each year and 12,200 people registered to


y, and Case Western Reserve's School of Medicine accepts 120 bodies annually, with a registry of


see on a radiographic film or computer screen doesn't come close to the intricacy and

hand study of the human form.

The bodies, which are in use for one to five years, are used for anatomy studies with a smaller number used

research in developing new surgical techniques. At the end of their usefulness for study, they are cremated and their


ough their thoughtfulness knowledge grows."


both an organ donor and to donate his body. "I have so much admiration for him being so selfless

so strongly about it, and he gave so much." She says Saturday's ceremony gave her family a sense of closure. "By

getting his ashes back and going to this service, we have the essence of him back."

Dr. Bruce Giffin, vice chair of the department of medical education who leads the anatomy labs, says the ceremony is


Whether or not the families realized it Saturday, the young people who seated them, served them refreshments and

sang for them "All Good Gifts" and "There'll Be Joy!" were all medical students. The day is a celebration of the

contribution, of people who in the end did the most generous thing anyone can do," Giffin says. "We know when we



10 [email protected]

U.S.A.


first time University of Cincinnati medical student Priya Srivastava worked on a body that had

The brown spots on the forearms that said

damage inflicted by cancer. The humbling, riveting revelation when she

that could be the memory of their first child."

Medical schools call the donated bodies the students' first patient. And the emotional connection they make — as they

— becomes the source of

t many, like Srivastava, plan to make the donation themselves one day. "It says something


the soul. For them to give us such an important part of themselves is


al body donation dedication ceremony at Kresge Auditorium.


egan in 1934, is one of the largest in the nation, with 420 bodies accepted each year and 12,200 people registered to


y, and Case Western Reserve's School of Medicine accepts 120 bodies annually, with a registry of


see on a radiographic film or computer screen doesn't come close to the intricacy and

The bodies, which are in use for one to five years, are used for anatomy studies with a smaller number used for

At the end of their usefulness for study, they are cremated and their



both an organ donor and to donate his body. "I have so much admiration for him being so selfless," she says. "He felt

She says Saturday's ceremony gave her family a sense of closure. "By

epartment of medical education who leads the anatomy labs, says the ceremony is


day, the young people who seated them, served them refreshments and

The day is a celebration of the

an do," Giffin says. "We know when we





Order of the Good Death USA Guest Post: Life Lessons from the Lifeless

Marc Sacks is a biomedical engineer in South Africa. His first piece for the Order is about meeting a room of 80 medical school cadavers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My choice to study biomedical engineering was informed by a course listed in the third year of study: “ANAT2020 –

Anatomy.” It is the same anatomy course taken by the medical students, a comprehensive study of histology (the

microscopic study of tissues), embryology and, of course, morphological or gross anatomy; the study of the

macroscopic structures of the human body. All areas of study interesting in their own right, what really piqued my

interest was the practical side of the course: cadaver dissection.

speeches from several members of staff. The hall was two floors underground; there were no windows and there was

poor ventilation. It did not make for a very good first impression: to be packed into a hot, stuffy hall with around 80

dead bodies reeking strongly of formalin.

“Don’t forget,” he said, “they were walking the streets of Johannesburg, just a few weeks ago.” I scanned my eyes

across the rows of bodies and suddenly they became animated – I could see the fat ones enjoying a meal, the small

ones as little old ladies shuffling about. They had intent, desires, fears, hopes…and now they were here. They were

here and about to be subjected to all manner of terrible acts, all their corporeal secrets were to be revealed to a troop of

marauding students and there was not a thing they could do about it. In their death they had relinquished all control

and were at our mercy. My mercy. I was not prepared for what I could now see was a type of twisted power.

To my 18-year-old mind, cadaver dissection seemed like

something “cool,” how many people get to dissect humans,

after all? I wasn’t quite prepared for the way the medical

school draped the whole process in an air of somber nobility.

First there was a swearing-in ceremony, where the anatomy

students had to pledge an oath to treat the cadavers with the

same respect one would have for a living person. Then we

had to sign a register which was a legally binding document,

as part of the South African human tissues legislation.

Essentially, we were not allowed to photograph any

specimens and we obviously couldn’t take any tissues (except

for bones to study) out of the dissection hall.

I didn’t know this ceremony would take place in the

dissection hall itself, the cadavers already splayed out in ten

by eight rows of gurneys, wrapped in formalin-soaked cloth

and covered with plastic – they looked a lot like mummies.

And so we sat in the hall for about an hour, listening to

speeches from several members of staff. The hall was two

“She lived for others but died for us.”

Cadaver memorial service at Indiana University

It was, however, an interesting visual. The

cadavers were all covered but one could still

discern shapes: some were fat, some were

short, many had their legs partially flexed in

a deathly rigidity – I would later learn that

the embalming process could prolong rigor

mortis. Their being covered only contributed

to the mystery which, since a child, I have

found compelling – what happens after

death? I was, for the most part, fine with the

smell and the heat and, well, the corpses. I

had framed it all in a comfortably detached

academic setting. It was only when the dean

of the medical school turned the corpses

back into humans that I felt a dizziness

descend upon me, an existential unrest.




and wrapped up on a gurney the next; waiting to be picked apart by lab-coat wearing vultures. But this did nothing to

calm me; it would be a relatively long time until I truly came to grips with mortality and seeing humans as objects,

through a series of enlightening, often gruesome and sometimes unbearable set of dissections.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES U.S.A. By Hannah Puyat | November 19, 2013

Oftentimes, even the best of the human race can be dumbfounded by how much we still don't know about our own

bodies. In current scientific studies, discovery of a new layer in the cornea and a previously unknown ligament in the

knee have been humbling reminders of how complex our anatomy is. Despite thousands of years of in-depth

investigation, there are still gaps in the current data as each individual is different and each component can change

from person to person. The truth is that the actual living, breathing parts of an individual is a far cry from textbook

illustrations.

The Dua's layer is a newfound tier in the human eye, a thin but tough structure which measures around 15 microns

thick. Located at the back of the cornea, this transparent tissue at the very front of the human eye helps to focus

incoming light and was found in June 2013. It is named after its discoverer, Harminder Dua, a professor of

ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Nottingham.

Steven Claes, a knee surgeon from the University of Leuven, focused on the exterior composition of the knee to solve

an old problem as to why many patients cannot return to their former level of competence in sports after a knee injury.

It turned out there was a distinctive structure that was previously unnoticed by doctors such as the anterolateral

ligament. Dr. Claes explained that most doctors overlooked this crucial part of the knee as you can only identify what

you know should be there. There is no advantage in memorizing all of the body parts when dealing with a component

that is unheard of.

The problem also lies when medical students look at a human body upclose, they only see parts and not the whole. It's

as if one is only looking at one corner of a painting and not the whole thing. It is imperative to understand and

examine the body continuously in its entirety.

By recognizing the spaces that science has yet to fill, most scientists are excited about what we can learn about the

human body in the next 50 years.

Dissection at University of Alaska Anchorage

This is perhaps the crux. I, above all else,

value my autonomy and now with no

subtlety or charm I saw death as the ultimate

contradiction to and enemy of autonomy.

With one sentence the Dean had disturbed a

long stagnant pool of fears. The ceremony

ended and all the students began to chatter –

but by then it was all white noise to me and

for some haunting, terrible reason a song

played in my mind: this song.

(Rachmaninoff: Élégie in E Flat Minor, Op. 3, No. 1 (1892)). Accuse me of melodrama,

but it is the truth and here I am striving for

candor. I drove home in a state of anxiety

and had to keep reminding myself that I had

learnt nothing new that day; I always knew I

was mortal, that I would die, that I was just a

hunk of meat – walking around one day and




Health and Medicine November 6, 2013 | by Elise Andrew

New human body part discovered

Photo credit: University Hospitals Leuven

can be found in 97% of all patients. Further research found that the pivot shift, a common complication after ACL

rehabilitation, is caused by a tear in the ALL ligament.

The last time a new human body part was discovered was June 2013. Although just microscopic layer in the human

cornea, it's discovery made eye surgery simpler and safer.

We have a tendency to believe we know everything there is to know about the anatomy of our bodies - after all, we've

been studying them in great detail for hundreds of years. These discoveries prove there's always more to learn, and

every new piece of information helps helps patients and doctors.

See more at: http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/new-human-body-part-discovered#sthash.XJqVluat.dpuf

Health 7th November 2013

New ligament discovered in knee, Belgian

surgeons say By Smitha Mundasad Health reporter, BBC News

As impossible as it may seem, two surgeons

at University Hospitals Leuven have

discovered an entirely new part of the

human body. It a ligament in the knee, and it

appears to play a role in patients suffering

from a tear in their anterior cruciate

ligament (ACL), a common sports injury.

Named the anterolateral ligment, it was

discovered using macroscopic dissection

techniques after the doctors began

investigating possible causes for

complications after rehabilitation for ACL.

They came across a paper written in 1879

that hypothesized the existence of a

previously unknown ligament in the knee.

The author of the paper turned out to be

correct; Dr Claes and Dr Bellemans

managed to locate the ligament and claim it

Two knee surgeons in Belgium

say they have identified a

previously unfamiliar ligament

in the human knee. Writing in

the Journal of Anatomy, they

suggest the fibrous band could

play a part in one of the most

common sports injuries

worldwide. Despite glimpses of

the ligament in medical history,

this is the first time its structure

and purpose have been so

clearly established, they say.

But experts say more studies are

needed to prove its relevance to

knee surgery. Four main

ligaments - or thick fibrous

bands - surround the knee joint,




The anterolateral ligament (ALL) may hold the key to common knee injuries, researchers say

bands - surround the knee joint, criss-crossing between the upper and lower leg bones to provide stability and prevent

excessive movement of our limbs. But the anatomy of the knee remains complex, and several international groups

have been exploring the less-defined structures of the joint for some time. The notion of this particular ligament was

first made by French surgeon Paul Segond in 1879 but it has evaded definitive surgical classification for many years.

'Extensive search'

Now building on the work of other surgeons, Dr Claes and Professor Johan Bellemans of the University Hospitals of

Leuven, Belgium, say they have closely mapped the band which runs from the outer side of the thigh bone to the shin

bone. And they say this anterolateral ligament could play an important protective role as we twist or change direction.

Mr Joel Melton, a consultant knee surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK, who was not involved in the

research said: "If you look back through history there has been a veiled understanding that something is going on on

that side of the knee but this work finally gives us a better understanding. "I think this is very exciting - there is no

doubt they have hit upon a very important anatomical structure."

The Belgian surgeons used macroscopic dissection techniques to examine 41 donated knee joints and pinpointed this

ligament in all but one specimen. And they say the presence of this band could help them better understand and treat a

common sports injury that has puzzled doctors for some time - the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear.

The knee joint is surrounded by ligaments to provide stability and support.

ligament (ALL) may be partly responsible for this. They hypothesise some people may injure the ALL at same time as

the ACL, leaving the knee less stable as the leg rotates. And their biomechanical studies suggest tears in this ligament

may also be to blame for small fractures that have previously been attributed to ACL injuries.

Mr Paul Trikha, a knee surgeon at the Surrey Orthopaedic Clinic, who was also not involved in the research said: "I

do around 150 ACL repairs each year. When I saw Dr Claes' research, it blew me away. Knowing about the ALL has

given us a better understanding of what other structures may be damaged during this common injury and this will

hopefully open up opportunities to improve surgery for our patients."

But reaction to this work has been mixed. Gordon Bannister, professor of orthopaedics at Bristol University said:

"There is no doubt this is a very interesting paper from the anatomical point of view but at the moment this is not a

major clinical breakthrough. Its role in knee injuries is a perfectly reasonable hypothesis to test but the most

important step is to see whether any intervention to the ligament actually makes a significant difference to patients."

Dr Claes and Bellemans have already started exploring this possibility and are offering repairs of the new ligament in

certain cases. Their next steps are to refine their techniques and monitor their patients to see if there are lasting

improvements to their mobility. Dr Claes said: "We surgeons may need to rethink what we know about common ACL

injuries. Though we have shed light on the purpose of this ligament and its role in common injuries, we now need to

find out for certain when it is best to intervene surgically. Long-term studies will give us that answer and hopefully

allow us to perfect a minimally invasive techniques to give our patients a better recovery."

An injury to the ACL is typical in people who

pivot during sport - from athletes and

basketball players and footballers and skiers. A

tear can happen when you change direction

rapidly or stop suddenly and causes pain,

swelling and reduced movement in the knee.

But despite improvements in surgical

techniques, between 10-20% of people with a

repaired ACL tear are unable to recover fully.

Twist or turn

In particular, some patients say their knees give

way as they twist or turn. Dr Claes and

Bellemans think an injury to the anterolateral





Anthropology

Science & Environment

Blow to multiple human species idea By Melissa Hogenboom Science reporter, BBC News

The 1.8 million-year-old skull is the most complete hominid skull ever found

long face, characteristics it shares with H. habilis. But many features from the braincase were also "unique" to H. erectus.

The 1.8-million-year old skull comes from a site that has given up the biggest collection of well-preserved early-

human remains known anywhere in the world.

The skull had a very small braincase

The comparative analysis of the hominid cranium revealed enough similarities for the team to consider the earliest

Homo fossils as the same species as the Dmanisi hominids.

The Dmanisi hominids

The idea that there were several different

human species walking the Earth two million

years ago has been dealt a blow. Instead,

scientists say early human fossils found in

Africa and Eurasia may have been part of the

same species. Writing in the journal Science,

the team says that Homo habilis, Homo

rudolfensis and Homo erectus are all part of a

single evolving lineage that led to modern

humans. But others in the field reject this.

A team looked at the most complete hominid

skull ever found, which was uncovered in

Dmanisi, Georgia. It had a small braincase,

large teeth and a long face, large teeth and a

long

The Dmanisi collection also represents the earliest evidence of primitive humans

outside Africa, a group that emerged soon after early Homo diverged from

Australopithecus, or "Lucy". "We now have the best evidence for what early

Homo really is," said lead author David Lordkipanidze from the Georgian

National Museum in Tbilisi, Georgia. "One of the most important things is that

we have such a remarkable collection; it's very rare that you have that from one

site."

The fossil remains showed a lot of variation that had previously puzzled

researchers, but Prof Lordkipanidze said it was clear that these features were all

from one population. "When we looked at this variability and compared it with

modern humans, you can see this is a normal range of variation," Prof

Lordkipanidze told BBC News.

The skull was uncovered eight years ago and since then the team has compared it

to other Homo fossils found in Africa from as early as 2.4 million years ago.

• The Georgian hominids lived about 1.8 million years ago and represent an early expansion of human ancestors outside Africa

• They are the most complete collection of a Homo species from any site older than 300,000 years old

• They had human-like spines and lower limbs that would have been well suited for long distance travel

• The male of the species was much larger than the female

• They also had relatively small brains and primitive upper limbs, traits which they shared with the earlier H. habilis, and even with the more primitive Australopithecus




A co-author of the study, Christoph Zollikofer from the Anthropological Institute and Museum in Zurich, Switzerland,

said that if the braincase and the face of "Skull 5" had been found as separate fossils at different sites in Africa, they

might have been attributed to different species. "That's because Skull 5 unites some key features, like the tiny

braincase and large face, which had not been observed together in an early Homo fossil until now. Furthermore, since

we see a similar pattern and range of variation in the African fossil record, it is sensible to assume that there was a

single Homo species at that time in Africa," Prof Zollikofer added. "And since the Dmanisi hominids are so similar to

the African ones, we further assume that they both represent the same species."

Other palaeoanthropologists, however, believe that at least three distinct species of humans co-existed in Africa. They

include Fred Spoor from University College London. He told BBC News that the methods of analysis that the team

used were not sufficient to infer that these fossils were the same species. "They do a very general shape analysis of the

cranium which describes the shape of the face and braincase in broad sweeping terms," Prof Spoor Said.

The Dmanisi site has uncovered the most complete collection of a Homo species

"The problem is that those Homo species are not defined using such a broad overview of what their general cranial

shape is." He added that the very specific characteristics that had been used to define H. erectus, H. habilis and H. rudolfensis "were not captured by the landmarks that they used. They did not consider that the thick and protruding

brow ridges, the angular back of the braincase; and some details of the base of the cranium are derived features for H. erectus, and not present in H. habilis and H. rudolfensis."

Chris Stringer at the Natural History Museum in London said that the team had made an excellent case "that this

remarkable new skull, with its huge jawbone", was part of the natural variation of the Dmanisi population. But he said

he was doubtful that all of the early Homo fossils could be "lumped into an evolving H. erectus lineage. Only H. erectus survives and becomes successful but at the origin, nature was experimenting with how to evolve humans in

terms of increasing brain size," Prof Stringer told BBC News. "Creatures were starting to use tools and eat meat, and

this drove evolution, but I think it also drove diversity. The Dmanisi group is an example of the successful species that

came out of that and then carried on to spread around the old world."




Jersey Jersey's place in Neanderthal history

revealed in study

A large portion of the site contains sediments dating to the last Ice Age

A study on a Jersey site that revealed a significant piece of late Neanderthal history has been published. Scientists

working on an archaeological dig in St Brelade said teeth found at La Cotte suggest Jersey was one of the last places

Neanderthals lived. The team of British archaeologists have unearthed items which show the presence of Stone Age

hunters at the headland. They said the finds were helping scientists understand more about the early relatives of

modern humans.

The site contains the only known late Neanderthal remains from North West Europe

"Archaeologists need dates like an artist needs paint. Without a sound chronology the power of our other techniques

for probing the past are severely restricted. This is a great step forward on what looks like being a fascinating

journey." The wider project, supported also by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Jersey Government,

will continue to investigate the site and material excavated from it over the past 110 years.

A study on a Jersey site that revealed a significant

piece of late Neanderthal history has been

published. Scientists working on an archaeological

dig in St Brelade said teeth found at La Cotte

suggest Jersey was one of the last places

Neanderthals lived.

The team of British archaeologists have unearthed

items which show the presence of Stone Age

hunters at the headland. They said the finds were

helping scientists understand more about the early

relatives of modern humans.

A large portion of the site contains sediments

dating to the last Ice Age, preserving 250,000

years of climate change and archaeological

evidence. The site, which has produced more

Neanderthal stone tools than the rest of the British

Isles put together, contains the only known late

Neanderthal remains from North West Europe.

Dr Matt Pope of the Institute of Archaeology at

University College London, who helped lead the

research, said: "In terms of the volume of

sediment, archaeological richness and depth of

time, there is nothing else like it known in the

British Isles. Given that we thought these deposits

had been removed entirely by previous

researchers, finding that so much still remains is

as exciting as discovering a new site."

The team dated sediments at the site using a

technique called optically stimulated luminesce,

which measures the last time sand grains were

exposed to sunlight. Dr Pope said the results

showed that part of the sequence of sediments

dates between 100,000 and 47,000 years old,

indicating that Neanderthal teeth which were

discovered at the site in 1910 were younger than

previously thought, and "probably belonged to

one of the last Neanderthals to live in the region".

Professor Clive Gamble, from the Natural

Environment Research Council, said:




News ‘ up

Forensic Archaeology

Odd tale of headless Norse men: Slaves

buried with the richDiscovery raises the possibility that Viking slaves were buried with their masters, sometimes

(Photo: Elise Naumann)

Naumann, whose study was published online in the

people who were the most privileged, and many people who suffered."

The skeletons were found in the 1980s by a farmer working the fields. Documentation of the discovery is sparse, and the excavations

did not involve archaeologists. But from the start, the researchers suspected they were onto something unusual. At least thre

seven skeletons divided among three graves were apparently buried without their skulls

burial sites. The scientists believe that every intact body was probably buried with one or perhaps two headless bodies.

The paper is an interesting combination of archaeology and molecular studies, says Jette Arneborg of the National Museum of

Denmark, and it raises new questions about social structure in the region. But Arneborg says via e

unequivocal answer on social status." Naumann concedes that the chemical analysis can't detect all dietary differences, but she says

those buried together certainly ate differently, indicating clear differences in their community standing

Viking world very different from today's egalitarian Scandinavia.

grateful that I didn't live in that time myself."

To understand the relationship between those interred together,

the scientists measured the skeletons' ratios of certain types of

nitrogen and carbon atoms that depend on diet. The analysis can't

pinpoint the foods eaten by the dead, but the data did show that

the people buried with their heads had eaten lots of land

protein, such as milk or beef. The decapitated people, however,

had diets rich in seafood, as did a dog buried at the site.

differences in diet point to a significant gap in social status

between those buried with and without their heads, Naumann

says. Perhaps those who dined on meat or dairy products were

rich or powerful; perhaps they were a religious elite. A DNA

analysis showed that most of those buried in graves together

probably weren't close kin, at least through their mothers, the

researchers say. The mistreatment of the bodies, the DNA results

and the dietary differences led the scientists to think that the

headless bodies are most likely slaves who met premature ends

to be interred with their masters.





Forensic Archaeology

Traci Watson, for USA TODAY September 19, 2013


buried with the rich Discovery raises the possibility that Viking slaves were buried with their masters, sometimes without their heads.

Naumann, whose study was published online in the Journal of Archaeological Science last week. "There were probably a very few

people who were the most privileged, and many people who suffered."

s by a farmer working the fields. Documentation of the discovery is sparse, and the excavations

did not involve archaeologists. But from the start, the researchers suspected they were onto something unusual. At least thre

ong three graves were apparently buried without their skulls — a mark of disrespect seen at other slave


ombination of archaeology and molecular studies, says Jette Arneborg of the National Museum of

Denmark, and it raises new questions about social structure in the region. But Arneborg says via e-mail that diet "does not give an

status." Naumann concedes that the chemical analysis can't detect all dietary differences, but she says

those buried together certainly ate differently, indicating clear differences in their community standing —

different from today's egalitarian Scandinavia. "It must've been a rough society," Naumann says. "I often think I'm

grateful that I didn't live in that time myself."

About 1,000 to 1,200 years ago, a Viking man still in his 20s was laid to

rest on a craggy island in the Norwegian Sea. A new analysis of his

skeleton and others buried nearby — several without their heads

suggests a haunting possibility: Some of the dead may have been slaves

killed to lie in the grave with their masters.

Slavery was widespread in the Viking world, and scientists have found

other Viking graves that include the remains of slaves sacrificed as

"grave goods" and buried with their masters, a custom also practiced in

ancient China and elsewhere. But the newly analyzed site is one of a very

few Viking burials to include more than one slave, says the University of

Oslo's Elise Naumann, a Ph.D. student in archaeology wh

research.

"These are people who had values very different from our own," says

Naumann, whose study was published online in the

To understand the relationship between those interred together,

the scientists measured the skeletons' ratios of certain types of

nd carbon atoms that depend on diet. The analysis can't

pinpoint the foods eaten by the dead, but the data did show that

the people buried with their heads had eaten lots of land-based

protein, such as milk or beef. The decapitated people, however,

ts rich in seafood, as did a dog buried at the site. The

differences in diet point to a significant gap in social status

between those buried with and without their heads, Naumann

says. Perhaps those who dined on meat or dairy products were

rich or powerful; perhaps they were a religious elite. A DNA

analysis showed that most of those buried in graves together

probably weren't close kin, at least through their mothers, the

ers say. The mistreatment of the bodies, the DNA results

and the dietary differences led the scientists to think that the

headless bodies are most likely slaves who met premature ends



dates ’ from around the World

September 19, 2013


Discovery raises the possibility that Viking slaves were without their heads.

last week. "There were probably a very few

s by a farmer working the fields. Documentation of the discovery is sparse, and the excavations

did not involve archaeologists. But from the start, the researchers suspected they were onto something unusual. At least three of the

a mark of disrespect seen at other slave


ombination of archaeology and molecular studies, says Jette Arneborg of the National Museum of

mail that diet "does not give an

status." Naumann concedes that the chemical analysis can't detect all dietary differences, but she says

— differences that made the

"It must've been a rough society," Naumann says. "I often think I'm

About 1,000 to 1,200 years ago, a Viking man still in his 20s was laid to

rest on a craggy island in the Norwegian Sea. A new analysis of his

several without their heads —

possibility: Some of the dead may have been slaves

Slavery was widespread in the Viking world, and scientists have found

other Viking graves that include the remains of slaves sacrificed as

uried with their masters, a custom also practiced in

ancient China and elsewhere. But the newly analyzed site is one of a very

few Viking burials to include more than one slave, says the University of

Oslo's Elise Naumann, a Ph.D. student in archaeology who led the

"These are people who had values very different from our own," says

Naumann, whose study was published online in the Journal of




Science & Environment

World's oldest bog body hints at violent past

By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News

A CT scan of Cashel Man showing the compressed state of the remains that are 500 years older than Tutankhamen

Cashel Man has had the weight of the world on his shoulders, quite literally, for 4,000 years. Compressed by the peat that has

preserved his remains, he looks like a squashed, dark leather holdall. Apart, that is, from one forlorn arm that stretches out and

upward and tells us something of the deliberate and extremely violent death that he suffered 500 years before Tutankhamen was

born.

Cashel Man is now being studied at the National Museum of Ireland's research base in Collins Barracks, Dublin. He was discovered

in 2011 by a bog worker in Cashel bog in County Laois. When the remains are brought out of the freezer, it is hard to tell that this

was ever a human being.

Kings of the wild frontier?

Scientists say that there were significant clues to the social status of three bog bodies found in Ireland since the start of this century

"It does look like mangled peat at first," says researcher Carol Smith. "But then you can see the pores on the skin and it takes on a

very human aspect quite quickly."

Carol starts to spray the body with non-ionised water. This prevents it deteriorating when exposed to room temperatures. As we peer

at the glistening bog-tanned body, we can see small, dark hairs on the skin, and a trail of vertebrae along his back.

• Clonycavan Man (L) was said to be

wearing a type of expensive, imported

hair gel

• Old Croghan Man (C) had finely

manicured nails

• Cashel Man (R) was found very close

to the inauguration site for the kings of

Laois




Powers of peat

Experts say that the remains of Cashel Man are extremely well preserved for his age. Radiocarbon dating suggests that he is the

earliest bog body with intact skin known anywhere in the world. He is from the early Bronze Age in Ireland about 4,000 years

ago.

Bog bodies with internal organs preserved have cropped up in many countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany,

Scotland and Spain. But in Ireland, with its flat central, peaty plain, they have been particularly plentiful.

bodies. Another critical element is acidity. "The pH levels vary in bogs and in some cases you may not get the bog mummy; you

may get a bog skeleton," says Isabella Mulhall. "Even within a site, you may have a body partially mummified and the lower half

could be skeletonised."While the preservation offered by the bog gives scientists huge amounts of information on the diet, living

conditions, background and lifestyle of the bodies, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The bog destroys the DNA, depriving

researchers of genetic information and making it very difficult for Irish people to claim descent from these ancients.

Researchers have to keep the remains of Cashel Man

moist to prevent deterioration at room temperature

Eamonn, or Ned as he is universally known, has developed a theory that connects the significant finds made in Ireland. He argues

that the bodies, all male and aged between 25 and 40, suffered violent deaths as victims of human sacrifice. "When an Irish king is

inaugurated, he is inaugurated in a wedding to the goddess of the land. It is his role to ensure through his marriage to the goddess that

the cattle will be protected from plague and the people will be protected from disease. If these calamities should occur, the king will

be held personally responsible. He will be replaced, he will pay the price, he will be sacrificed."

Nipple evidence

Eamonn says that Cashel Man fits this pattern because his body was found on a border line between territories and within sight of the

hill where he would have been crowned. He suffered significant violent injuries to his back, and his arm shows evidence of a cut

from a sword or axe.

The preserved hairs on the skin of Cashel Man seem to be still alive Archaeologist Eamonn Kelly at the site of the discovery of Cashel man in 2011

In the past 10 years, there have been two other significant

finds, in varying states of decay. Both Clonycavan Man

and Old Croghan Man, who were discovered in 2003,

were violently killed but the preservative powers of the

bog have allowed science to piece together their stories.

"The bog is an amazing place," says Isabella Mulhall, who

co-ordinates the bog bodies research project at the

museum. "It is basically an anaerobic environment and the

oxygen that bacteria feed off is not present, and therefore

decomposition does not occur."

The process of preservation though is complicated,

involving several factors including Sphagnum moss,

which helps extract calcium from the bones of buried

The Iron Age bodies of Clonycavan Man and Old Croghan Man are

on display at the museum, which sits in a wing of Leinster House, the

Irish parliament.

Eamonn Kelly is the long-time Keeper of Irish Antiquities and a man

who has worked on all the major bog body finds. He is an

archaeologist of the old school, with a deep knowledge of Irish and

European mythology and symbolism. He patiently explains the

stories behind the bodies on display, where the well-preserved hands

are a striking feature. "They are so evocative really. You can see

those arms cradling a baby, or caressing a lover, or wielding a sword.

But the personality is there; it's been preserved in their remains," he

says.




However, a critical piece of information that would cement this

argument is missing. Because Cashel Man's chest was

destroyed by the milling machine that uncovered him, the

researchers are unable to examine the state of his nipples. In

the other two bog body cases, says Eamonn Kelly, the nipples

had been deliberately damaged.

"We're looking at the bodies of kings who have been

decommissioned, who have been sacrificed. As part of that

decommissioning, their nipples are mutilated. In the Irish

tradition they could no longer serve as king if their bodies were

mutilated in this way. This is a decommissioning of the king in

this life and the next."

The real surprise with Cashel Man is his age, being 1,500 years

older than the other significant finds. But he may not be the

last. As the midland bogs are depleted, the scientists believe

they could find other bodies of a similar age.

In December last year, more remains were found in Rossan

bog, Co Meath, of a body that's being called Moydrum Man.

Isabella Mulhall says there are indications that it could be the

same age as Cashel Man. "He hasn't been dated as yet, but we

suspect that he would come as well from the very early levels

of the bog and he would fit into that Bronze Age date range as

well. But we have to confirm that with carbon dating," she

says.

In the future, Cashel Man is likely to join the other bodies in

the National Museum. Like the others, he will be treated

sympathetically and with some reverence. This is hugely

important to Eamonn Kelly and all the staff.

"I see these bodies as ambassadors who have come down to us

from a former time with a story to tell. I think if we can tell

that story in some small measure we can give a little added

meaning to those lives that were cut short. And even though it

was thousands of years ago, it is still in each and every case a

human tragedy."




News ‘ up

Neurology

Ballet dancers' brains 'adapt to spins'

Ballet dancers train hard to be able to perform rapid pirouettes

Sensation, but around one person in four experiences chronic dizziness at some point in their life.

turns or spins around rapidly, fluid

Once they stop, the fluid continues to move, which can make a person feel like they are still spinning.

Ballet dancers train hard to be able to spin, or pirouette, rapidly and

focusing on a spot - as they spin, their head should be the last bit to move and the first to come back.

In the study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, the team recruited 29 female ballet dancers

rowers of similar age and fitness levels.

Reflexes

After they were spun in the chair, each was asked to turn a handle in time with how quickly they felt like they were

still spinning after they had stopped.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were also taken to look at participants' brain structures.

Dancers' perception of spinning lasted a shorter time than rowers'

the effect. The scans showed differences between the dancers and the rowers in two parts of the brain: the cerebellum,

which is where sensory input from the vestibular organs is processed, and the cerebral cortex, which perceives

dizziness.

The team also found that perception of spinning closely matched the eye reflexes triggered by vestibular signals in the

rowers, but in dancers there was no such link.

Resistant

Dr Barry Seemungal, of the department of medicine at Imperial College London, who led t

useful for a ballet dancer to feel dizzy or off balance. Their brains adapt over years of t

Consequently, the signal going to the brain areas responsible for perception of dizziness in the cerebra

reduced, making dancers resistant to feeling dizzy."

patients with chronic dizziness, we can begin to understand how to treat them better."

Deborah Bull, a former principal dance

Institute at King's College, London, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What's really interesting is what ballet

dancers have done is refine and make precise the instruction to th

don't need all those extra neurons."





Health


Ballet dancers train hard to be able to perform rapid pirouettes

around one person in four experiences chronic dizziness at some point in their life.

turns or spins around rapidly, fluid in the vestibular organs of the inner ear can be felt moving through tiny hairs.


Ballet dancers train hard to be able to spin, or pirouette, rapidly and repeatedly. They use a technique called spotting,

as they spin, their head should be the last bit to move and the first to come back.

In the study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, the team recruited 29 female ballet dancers

rowers of similar age and fitness levels.


still spinning after they had stopped. Eye reflexes triggered by input from the vestibular organs were also measured.


Dancers' perception of spinning lasted a shorter time than rowers' - and the more experienced the

The scans showed differences between the dancers and the rowers in two parts of the brain: the cerebellum,


also found that perception of spinning closely matched the eye reflexes triggered by vestibular signals in the

rowers, but in dancers there was no such link.

Dr Barry Seemungal, of the department of medicine at Imperial College London, who led the research, said: "It's not

useful for a ballet dancer to feel dizzy or off balance. Their brains adapt over years of training to suppress that input.

Consequently, the signal going to the brain areas responsible for perception of dizziness in the cerebra

reduced, making dancers resistant to feeling dizzy." He added: "If we can target that same brain area or monitor it in

patients with chronic dizziness, we can begin to understand how to treat them better."

Deborah Bull, a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, who is now the executive director of the Cultural


dancers have done is refine and make precise the instruction to the brain so that actually the brain has shrunk. We

don't need all those extra neurons."

Ballet dancers develop differences in their brain

structures to allow them to perform pirouettes

feeling dizzy, a study has found.

College London said dancers appear to suppress signals

from the inner ear to the brain. Dancers traditionally use

a technique called "spotting", which minimises head

movement. The researchers say their findings may help

patients who experience chronic dizziness.

Train hard

Dizziness is the feeling of movement when, in reality,

you are still. For most it is an occasional, temporary

sensation. But around one person in four experiences



dates ’ from around the World


around one person in four experiences chronic dizziness at some point in their life. When someone

in the vestibular organs of the inner ear can be felt moving through tiny hairs.


They use a technique called spotting,

as they spin, their head should be the last bit to move and the first to come back.

In the study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, the team recruited 29 female ballet dancers and 20 female


om the vestibular organs were also measured.


and the more experienced the dancers, the greater

The scans showed differences between the dancers and the rowers in two parts of the brain: the cerebellum,


also found that perception of spinning closely matched the eye reflexes triggered by vestibular signals in the

he research, said: "It's not

raining to suppress that input.

Consequently, the signal going to the brain areas responsible for perception of dizziness in the cerebral cortex is

He added: "If we can target that same brain area or monitor it in

r with the Royal Ballet, who is now the executive director of the Cultural


e brain so that actually the brain has shrunk. We

Ballet dancers develop differences in their brain

structures to allow them to perform pirouettes without

feeling dizzy, a study has found. A team from Imperial

College London said dancers appear to suppress signals

Dancers traditionally use

a technique called "spotting", which minimises head

ay their findings may help

patients who experience chronic dizziness.

Dizziness is the feeling of movement when, in reality,

For most it is an occasional, temporary

sensation. But around one person in four experiences




Health

Billion pound brain project under way

By Fergus Walsh, Medical correspondent

The human brain contains up to 100 billion neurons

insufficient to simulate complex brain function. But within a decade, supercomputers should be sufficiently powerful

to begin the first draft simulation of the human brain. Another hurdle is the huge amount of data that will be

produced, which will mean massively expanding computing memory.

Complex

The HBP can be viewed as the neuroscience equivalent of the Human Genome Project, which involved thousands of

scientists around the world working together to sequence our entire genetic code. That took more than a decade and

cost hundreds of billions of dollars. But whereas that involved mapping every one of the three billion base pairs found

in every cell that make up our entire genetic code, the Human Brain Project will not be able to map the entire human

brain. It's simply too complex. The brain has around 100 billion neurons, or nerve cells and 100 trillion synaptic

connections. Instead the project aims to build a variety of computer simulations.

A 10-year, billion pound neuroscience project which aims to

revolutionise our understanding of the human brain has begun.

Scientists from 135 institutions, mostly in Europe, are participating

in the The Human Brain Project (HBP). Co-funded by the EU, it

aims to develop the technology needed to create a computer

simulation of the brain. It will also build a database of brain

research from the tens of thousands of neuroscience papers

published annually.

Cognition

"The Human Brain Project is an attempt to build completely new

computer science technology that will enable us to collect all the

information we have built up about the brain over the years," said

Prof Henry Markram, Director of the HBP at EPFL (Ecole

Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), in Switzerland. "We should

begin to understand what makes the human brain unique, the basic

mechanisms behind cognition and behaviour, how to objectively

diagnose brain diseases, and to build new technologies inspired by

how the brain computes."

The scientists involved accept that current computer technology is

Scientists at the University of

Manchester are building a model

which will mimic 1% of brain

function. The SpiNNaker project is

led by Steve Furber, a pioneer of the

computer industry, who played a key

role in the design of the BBC

Microcomputer. "I've spent my career

building conventional computers and

I've seen their performance grow

spectacularly. Yet they still struggle

to do things that humans find

instinctive. Even very young babies

can recognise their mothers but

programming a computer to recognise

a particular person is possible but

very hard."




time to make the attempt: "There are plenty of grounds for scepticism about whether the project will deliver a fairly

complete understanding of how the brain works. But we will make progress even if we don't achieve that ultimate

goal and that could yield major benefits for medicine, computing and for society."

Brain activity found after 'brain death' By Geoffrey Mohan

The findings could revive debate over the criteria for declaring a person “brain dead.” In the U.S., two such flat

readings 24 hours apart are necessary, along with other tests of brain function.

that the brain can survive an extremely deep coma and that inducing such a state could help preserve some brain

function that otherwise might cease, causing the brain to atrophy.

Scientists have been steadily probing the nature of brain activity at the border of death.

brain activity after cardiac arrest suggest a neural explanation for anecdotes from patients who have re

Neuromorphic computers

The scientists believe unlocking those secrets would

yield major benefits in information technology, with the

advent of so-called neuromorphic computers

which learn like the brain. "With this knowledge we

could produce computer chips with specia

skills that mimic those of the human brain, such as the

ability to analyse crowds, or decision

and complex datasets," said Prof Markram.

brains should also allow researchers to compare healthy

and diseased brains within computer models.

Brain disease

A key aim is to produce a more scientific understanding

of the basis of brain diseases, building a unified map of

neurological disorders and how they relate to each other.

The HBP team believe that will help

objective way to diagnose disease and treat brain

disorders.

The massive cost of the HBP has attracted some criticism

that it may starve funding for other neuroscience

research. The vast ambition of the project has also led

some to doubt whether it really can deliver a revolution

in our understanding of the brain within a decade.

Prof Steve Furber believes it is the right time to make




to make the attempt: "There are plenty of grounds for scepticism about whether the project will deliver a fairly


r benefits for medicine, computing and for society."

USA

Brain activity found after 'brain death'

The findings could revive debate over the criteria for declaring a person “brain dead.” In the U.S., two such flat

readings 24 hours apart are necessary, along with other tests of brain function. Researchers said their findings suggest

can survive an extremely deep coma and that inducing such a state could help preserve some brain

function that otherwise might cease, causing the brain to atrophy.

Scientists have been steadily probing the nature of brain activity at the border of death. Evidence of a sharp burst in

suggest a neural explanation for anecdotes from patients who have re

Brain v computer

Computers are excellent at doing very simple things quickly and can do mathematicalspeedily than humans. But the brain is vastly superior at doing complex things which involve deeper understanding and learning.

Supercomputers are getting faster every year. The biggest have a processing speed measured in petaflops (1,000 trillion Floating Point Operations per Second, or FLOPS).

The Chinese Tianhe-2, the world's most powerful supercomputer, is capable of 34 petaflops/sec but that may rise to 100 petaflops/sec. But it will require an exaflop computer - 10 times more pChinese supercomputer running at full potential even begin to simulate real-time brain activity.

It is thought the first exaflop computer, capable of a billion billion calculations per second will be developed within a few years. But using current technology a computer that powerful would require much of the output from a power station. By contrast the human brain needs just 30 watts; the energy to run a light bulb

The scientists believe unlocking those secrets would

yield major benefits in information technology, with the

called neuromorphic computers - machines

"With this knowledge we

could produce computer chips with specialised cognitive

skills that mimic those of the human brain, such as the

ability to analyse crowds, or decision-making on large

datasets," said Prof Markram. These digital

brains should also allow researchers to compare healthy

ns within computer models.

A key aim is to produce a more scientific understanding

of the basis of brain diseases, building a unified map of

neurological disorders and how they relate to each other.

The HBP team believe that will help provide a more

objective way to diagnose disease and treat brain

The massive cost of the HBP has attracted some criticism

that it may starve funding for other neuroscience

research. The vast ambition of the project has also led

ther it really can deliver a revolution

of the brain within a decade. But

Prof Steve Furber believes it is the right time to make

Maybe cats have nine lives, or maybe brain dead people aren’t so dead.

the brain may still be active after a commonly used brain activity reading goes

to a flat line, according to a study on cat brains published Wednesday in the

online journal PLOS One.

The study came after Romanian doctors noticed odd electroencephalogram

(EEG) activity in a patient who had lapsed into a coma while under the

influence of anti-seizure medication. Researchers at the Universite de Montreal

put 26 cats under deep anesthesia and recorded their brain activity in the upper

cortical regions and hippocampus. In all of the cats, a previously

undocumented “ripple event” was evident in the hippocampus after EEG read

outs went “flat,” indicating a silenced cortex. The results appeared to replicate

what had been seen in the human patient, according to the study.



to make the attempt: "There are plenty of grounds for scepticism about whether the project will deliver a fairly


USA

Brain activity found after 'brain death'

The findings could revive debate over the criteria for declaring a person “brain dead.” In the U.S., two such flat-line

Researchers said their findings suggest

can survive an extremely deep coma and that inducing such a state could help preserve some brain

Evidence of a sharp burst in

suggest a neural explanation for anecdotes from patients who have recovered from

Computers are excellent at doing very simple things quickly and can do mathematical calculations far more speedily than humans. But the brain is vastly superior at doing complex things which involve deeper

Supercomputers are getting faster every year. The biggest have a processing speed measured in petaflops 1,000 trillion Floating Point Operations per Second, or

2, the world's most powerful supercomputer, is capable of 34 petaflops/sec but that may rise to 100 petaflops/sec. But it will require an

10 times more powerful that the Chinese supercomputer running at full potential - to

time brain activity.

It is thought the first exaflop computer, capable of a billion billion calculations per second will be developed

using current technology a computer that powerful would require much of the output from a power station. By contrast the human brain needs just 30 watts; the energy to run a light bulb.

Maybe cats have nine lives, or maybe brain dead people aren’t so dead. Parts of

the brain may still be active after a commonly used brain activity reading goes

to a flat line, according to a study on cat brains published Wednesday in the

The study came after Romanian doctors noticed odd electroencephalogram

in a patient who had lapsed into a coma while under the

Researchers at the Universite de Montreal

put 26 cats under deep anesthesia and recorded their brain activity in the upper

l of the cats, a previously

undocumented “ripple event” was evident in the hippocampus after EEG read-

outs went “flat,” indicating a silenced cortex. The results appeared to replicate

what had been seen in the human patient, according to the study.

november - december 2013€¦ · page 1 2013 – chairman’s thoughts – wendy birch page 44 news...

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