Recently, the D'Angelo Library Special Collections acquired ledgers tracking cadavers used in medical universities in the Kansas City area. The ledgers predate the founding of the university, and include the records of a university that the original faculty of Kansas City University comprised: the Central College of Osteopathy. They are currently being used for research pertaining to early osteopathic history in the Kansas City area, which will be featured in this blog.
The first book of ledgers track how many bodies were distributed among seven different universities from 1911-1937, and include information such as which undertaker was responsible for the body,.as well as cause of death, if known. Some of the earliest records do not include any other information other than race and sex.
Part of our preservation efforts have been to digitize the ledgers and store them according to archival standards. Making them accessible and highlighting the historical significance of these records is a part of the mission of the Special Collections.
This letter, which was attached to the ledgers, shows how frustrating and precarious it was for medical schools to provide students with bodies for education and research. The Universal Anatomical Gifts Act (UAGA) of 1968 was the first national law allowing for schools to receive bodies willed to them for education.
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