Corpse shortage due to rise in Scottish medical students – report

Prof Findlater carried out inspections at a number of medical premises including those at the universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews.

Anatomy departments accepted 290 bodies over the academic year and rejected 178.

There were only nine more bodies accepted this year compared to the year before, when there was 285 fewer students.

Prof Findlater noted that all departments were working well and to a very high standard.

But he identified a “potential problem” as the demand for bodies was increasing due to rising student numbers.

He said: “This is already having an impact on the surgical colleges who are now having to cancel training courses due to medical schools having to meet their own needs first before that of the colleges.”

In reference to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, he said sourcing cadavers to meet the demand for courses was a serious issue.

He said: “This situation is not helped by the need of the five medical schools in Scotland having to meet the increased need for cadavers required to teach the increasing number of medical students they now have to accept.”

The Scottish government has been contacted for comment.