Pedagogical value of dissection anatomy in Kenya

Anatomy has historically been a cornerstone in medical education regardless of nation or specialty. Revolution in the training of anatomy has been based on the lack of adequate instructors, cadavers and the general high cost of anatomy training. This has led to the abandonment of dissection by most countries in favour of other methods of learning. At the University of Nairobi, the need for more instructors has been addressed by training anatomists and by incorporating surgical resident students in the training of undergraduate medical students. The catchment of collecting cadavers has been increased to address the need for cadavers, with increased competition for this resource from other medical schools in Kenya. This article shares our experience at the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi, and presents arguments for the dissection course as a central tool for teaching macroscopic anatomy.