On the afternoon of October 16th, students from Inner Mongolia Medical University posted photos on the social media platform TikTok showing the remains of anatomical teachers, commonly referred to as “cadaver teachers,” sparking controversy.
In medical education, many courses focus on morphology, and visible human body organs are known as gross structures, while microscopic structures that require instruments like microscopes to see are called microscopic structures.
In the photos, female students from Inner Mongolia Medical University can be seen holding skull bones with smiles on their faces. One student uploaded the photos to social media with the caption “Medical students fear nothing.” Another photo shows a box of human bones with a female student posing with the assembled skeleton.
On October 17th, the topic labeled “Medical students’ taking photos with cadaver teacher’s skull causes dissatisfaction” caught the attention of the online community.
Video blogger and Weibo influencer “Only Salt” said, “As medical students, the first lesson should be to learn to respect cadaver teachers. Posting such photos online, showing off and even asking friends if they have a dog at home to play with bones, is unacceptable.”
Writer and Weibo influencer “No Consideration, No Conscience” criticized, “If it was just a photo, it would be forgivable. But from the screenshots circulating, this person even replied, ‘Do you have a dog at home? Pick a bone and play with it,’ which is outrageous, showing disrespect to the selfless and noble body donors. Such individuals should not be in the medical profession.”
Video blogger and Weibo influencer “White Night Mushroom Dream” questioned, “Several female students from Inner Mongolia Medical University posing with skulls in photos have angered netizens: insulting cadaver teachers! Do these four medical students lack even the most basic common sense of medical ethics? How will the school handle this?”
Netizens commented, “This is a great disrespect to the donors. Why are they so happy? Shouldn’t there be education before anatomy class at school, teaching gratitude and respect? From the school to the teachers to the students, everyone should reflect on this.”
“I think the school is more at fault than the students. The school fails to show respect for the cadaver teachers in daily life, leading the students to have no sense of respect either. Dealing with the students is minor; how to make the entire school change is what needs consideration.”
According to JiMu News, on the morning of October 18th, staff from the School of Public Health at Inner Mongolia Medical University stated that while their students attend clinical classes, they do not have students attending cadaver classes. The student who posted the photos is not from their school, and the matter is still under investigation. When further questioned by reporters, the staff member abruptly ended the call.
Staff from the Basic Medical School of the university mentioned that the school is dealing with the issue but cannot disclose information about the involved medical students’ department. For details, contact the school’s public relations department. Multiple attempts by the media to reach the school’s public relations department by phone went unanswered.
Reports indicated that staff from the student affairs department of the university hung up the phone upon hearing the reporter’s questions. Subsequent attempts to reach them remained unanswered. Earlier, the department staff stated in a media interview that they were aware of the situation, the students involved had provided explanations and undergone checks, and the school would investigate gradually and take action soon.
On October 18th, reporters from Huashang Daily attempted to contact the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Education Department. Initially, the staff suggested, “Report the issue to the medical university or call 12345.” They provided the emergency phone number for Inner Mongolia Medical University, but the reporter’s calls went unanswered. Following up, the reporter contacted the Education Department again, and the staff assured that they would conduct an investigation and handle the matter.