A study of the racial background of willed‐body donors (WBD), most commonly referred to as cadavers, revealed a strikingly disproportionate distribution. Data were collected from state issued death certificates and donor forms from the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) Willed‐Body Program and analyzed for multiple variables. All statistical analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel™. Our analysis of the WBD (n=225) demonstrated racial proportions as 96.43%, 2.23%, 1.34%, 0.00% for Caucasian, African‐American, Latino, and all other races respectively. Similar trends are seen at medical schools across the Western Hemisphere. At one particular foreign medical school, where the indigenous population is primarily dark‐skinned, mostly Caucasian WBD are used in their anatomy laboratories. We also show that formal education (mean=13.07yrs) is correlated with WBD participation in the anatomy training of healthcare providers and other related professionals. The study of anatomy is a cornerstone of clinical knowledge. Human pathology is known to have differential expression across races. We conclude that many racial groups are excluded from anatomical studies, and as such, may translate to inappropriate understanding of anatomical nuances of races other than Caucasian. Further work is ongoing to elucidate the origins of the racial disparities.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.