In studying the Nazi anatomists, I have discovered an area of interest. I hope to make this page more robust in the near future.
My mission as an anatomist is to provide important learning experiences using the human body and to maintain a rigorous ethical framework while doing so.
Why do you use the term “Human Donors” instead of the term “cadaver” at MVCC?
The etymology of the word “cadaver” originally has the term arising around 200 CE from the Latin verb cado, or “I fall,” as a substitution for dying. Around the Middle Ages, folk usage of cadaver became a derivative of caro data vermibus (ca-da-ver), or flesh given to worms. Being able to work with human donors, we receive the gift of someone’s body that was presented to us voluntarily upon their dying. In fact, we receive our donors from the SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Anatomical Gift Program! The wonderful people who have donated their body so that we can learn deserve more respect than to be treated as flesh given to worms; they mean so much more to us. In order to respect the gift these special people have given to us we call them human donors and we hope you will, too!
Quick tour of the MVCC Sam Drogo Anatomy and Physiology Complex
The door to the outer lab of the MVCC A&P Complex. 
Silent Teachers plaque outside of the MVCC Human Donor Lab. This plaque was donated to the MVCC Anatomy facility by a student who benefitted greatly from our program. 
Text of the Silent Donor plaque. 
Door number and dedication of the MVCC Anatomy and Physiology Complex to Sam Drogo. 
A look inside of our ‘outer lab’ where we do physiology experiments and work with skeletal remains. 
The door to our Human Donor Facility. 
“We give thanks to those who have given their bodies so that we might learn.” Students are greeted by this every time they enter the lab. It’s an important reminder. 
Students working with our human donors. 
Information about our donors is provided to our students to help remind students that the donors were once living people who need to respect while we are learning from them.