ABSTRACT
Many cultures attach an aura of sacredness and inviolability to human remains and view dismemberment or even postmortem examination as desecration. Such considerations and other spiritual ideas about the possible future life of the human personality made it difficult for the early gatherers of scientific knowledge to conduct postmortem examinations for educational and scientific purposes. Not surprisingly, the dissection and vivisection of animals has often been substituted with the resultant misunderstanding of important parts of human anatomy.
