natomy, the backbone of medicine and fundamental to medical practice, 1 was first recognized as a discipline of science in Alexandria. 2 The acquisition and retention of knowledge is accomplished by the process of cognition, conation and psychomotor activity. The psychomotor activity trains the individual in spatial appreciation and orientation, which is essential for acquisition of skill and experience. The psychomotor component of learning anatomy is achieved by dissection of cadavers. 3 The practical dissection of the human body by medical students started in Great Britain as early as the beginning of the 15th century. 4 "Dissection is a Royal road, which follows a pass through difficult mountains to pleasure and piece of mind." 5 Practical dissection consolidates the knowledge in a clinically relevant way. 6 Historical background. Owing to the tendency of biological tissues to decompose and putrefy with time, many techniques for preservation of cadavers A Mummification to plastination Revisited Muhammad Saeed, MBBS, M.Phil, Amin A. Rufai, MBBS, PhD, Saleh E. Elsayed, FRCS, PhD. have evolved. Though our knowledge of conservation techniques used in the old Kingdom of ancient Egypt is limited, the analysis of clavicle fragments of the mummy of "Idu-II", Secretary General of Pinewood Trade Office (2150±50BC) has extended the history of embalming to 1,000 years earlier than previously thought. 7 The methodology behind mummification is encompassed by the life of the King "Osiris" who brought civilization to Egypt. Ancient Egyptians believed that an intact preserved body was necessary for the soul to live forever. 8 Unfortunately there is no written detail describing the process of mummification. To the best of our knowledge, the first written report on mummification comes from Herodotus (450 BC), a Greek traveler and historian. 9 In formal mummification the internal organs (except heart) were removed. The body was thoroughly washed with water and aromatic solutions, dried with natron and after desiccation, remains were coated with resins and wrapped in A brief summary of the history of anatomy is presented with particular focus on important scientists who contributed significantly to the development of anatomical education and recognition of anatomy as a discipline of science. An attempt has been made to review the history of preservation of human cadavers from earliest mummification methodology used by ancient Egyptians to the most modern technique of embalming and plastination of human cadavers, developed by Von Hagens during the period from 1979 to 1987. The need for use of modern teaching aids for instruction of topographic anatomy is also highlighted. Keywords: Mummification, embalming, plastination, anatomy. Saudi Med J 2001; Vol. 22 (11): 956-959 From the Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, and King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Address correspondence and reprint request to: Dr. Muhammad Saeed, Department of Anatomy, 28-KKUH College of Medicine, and King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, PO Box 2925 Riyadh 11461, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel. +966 (1) 4672545. Fax. +966 (1) 4671300. E- mail: shafi@ksu.edu.sa/msaeedshafi@hotmail.com ABSTRACT 956