Procurement and processing of human bones in medical schools for teaching purpose: A narrative review

Abstract

Bones are an indispensable learning resource to learn osteology. This study reviews the various bone preparation techniques and the ease of procurement and processing of human bones for teaching medical students and osteology research. Steps of bone preparation essentially involve soft tissue removal, bone bleaching, bone articulation and labelling. Embalmed cadavers may be ideal for bone preparation because it eliminates the risk of infection. Detergent maceration may be the ideal method of bone maceration because it is a cheaper technique and gives good results. Both acetone and hydrogen peroxide may be the ideal degreasing and bleaching agents, owing to their superior outcomes. Embalmed cadavers may be ideal for bone preparation because it eliminates the risk of infection. Among all, detergent maceration can be considered as the ideal method because of its cost-effectiveness and good results. Both acetone and hydrogen peroxide can be considered as the ideal degreasing and bleaching agents, owing to their superior outcomes.