Gross Anatomy, Body Donation We follow the progress of gross anatomy students at the University of Maryland Medical School -- from their first experience cutting into human cadavers to a holding memorial service for the bodies they worked on. And we meet people who have agreed to donate their bodies to medical science.

Special Series

Gross Anatomy, Body Donation

Follow the progress of gross anatomy students at the University of Maryland Medical School.

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First-Year Med Students Enter the 'Gross' Lab

September 17, 2004 • Getting into medical school is the easy part. Making it through the first day of gross anatomy lab is where it gets hard. In part one of a series following first-year medical students, NPR's Melissa Block joins the students in the lab.

Lessons from the Gross Anatomy Lab

November 1, 2004 • As final exams approach for freshman medical students at the University of Maryland, they reflect on what they've learned in the gross anatomy lab. NPR's Melissa Block visits the lab in the second of a series about gross anatomy and body donation.

Body Donors: A Final Gift of Teaching

February 10, 2005 • As part of a series on the end of life and the gift of teaching, NPR's Melissa Block talks to people who have offered to donate their bodies to medical science.

A Final Good-Bye: Med Students Honor Body Donors

June 29, 2005 • Last fall, first-year medical students at the University of Maryland entered the gross anatomy lab, learning to dissect cadavers -- and reassess their thoughts about death. In June, the students concluded their journey at a ceremony honoring those who gave their bodies to science.