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The relevance of anatomical dissection in instructing anatomy to medical, dental, and other health science students is indisputable. Ethiopian anatomists encountered challenges in obtaining human bodies for anatomy education and research, both prior to and following the COVID-19 outbreak. The challenges intensified during the pandemic, significantly affecting anatomy education in Ethiopia. This study seeks to investigate the sources of bodies for anatomy, spanning the periods before and after COVID-19, with a particular focus on identifying the primary challenges associated with sourcing of bodies in Ethiopia. Fifty (50) anatomists completed a survey distributed to ten (10) randomly chosen medical institutions in Ethiopia. The survey gathered information on the body profile (number of bodies, age, sex, sources, and methods of body disposal), and the challenges faced during the sourcing of bodies in the years 2018 and 2023. A total of sixty-three (63) bodies were used by the sampled medical institutions between 2018 and 2023 academic years. All (100%) of the bodies used were unclaimed human bodies. Most (66.7%) of these bodies were males. The majority (65.5%) of these bodies were sourced from Tikur Anbessa hospital in Addis Ababa. None (0%) of the sampled medical institutions had body donation programs. Disposal of human tissues encompassed various methods, including the retention of skeletons, prosection of vital organs, and burial of remaining tissues. Economic constraints and the absence of a legal framework document were the main challenges in acquiring bodies in the pre-pandemic period. The COVID-19 pandemic prevention policies and the civil war further exacerbated the challenges in sourcing of bodies for anatomy dissections during the post-pandemic period. The reliance on unclaimed human bodies for anatomy education and research in Ethiopian medical institutions mirrors a common practice across many African countries. The authors suggest the development of a legislative framework or operational guidelines, coupled with empowering the medical institutions to outsource their own funding that will ultimately lead to an increased number of bodies available for anatomical dissection. Over time, implementation and promotion of body donation programs may also resolve body shortages for anatomy education in Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching and learning of human anatomy by dissection has existed for thousands of years. Over the centuries, evolving ethical considerations for the sourcing of human bodies for dissection have resulted in a transition from the use of unconsented individuals to that of body donors and the institution of body donation programmes around the world. However, major challenges on the African continent have resulted in the continued use of unconsented or unclaimed bodies and the ethical dilemma for African anatomy departments regarding their use. Some of the key difficulties in sourcing donor bodies which exist on the African continent emanate from religious, cultural, societal trust and other confounding factors. This manuscript explores the challenges and suggests ways in which some of these constraints may be overcome. • Ethical sourcing of bodies for dissection remains a major challenge in Africa. • Many anatomy departments in Africa rely on unclaimed bodies. • Challenges to donation are rooted in African traditional religions and cultures. • Societal mistrust may also play a role. • Strategies for reducing these challenges must be found if dissection is to endure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the goals of Meillassoux's philosophy is to secure the claim that the mathematizable properties of a thing can be thought as real properties of that thing. He explicitly says that he has not accomplished this goal yet. What the claim implies is that those properties remain the same whether there is a subject that thinks of them or not. However, such a goal runs into a series of difficulties which, nonetheless, can be resolved. Specifically, it encounters the difficulty that it is possible to mathematize the properties of non-real entities. A more serious difficulty is represented by the fact that the properties of human bodies, such as weight and height, can be mathematized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented to this special issue on topics related to bodies in North and South America considering topics of appearance bias, body modification, and cultural studies.