The show features public anatomy demonstrations with the use of real human cadavers and live nude models (for Surface Anatomy and Surface Markings), carried out at Gunther von Hagens' "Institute for Plastination" in Heidelberg, Germany.
During the 19th century, the sensational serial murders associated with Burke and Hare and the London Burkers led to legislation which provided scientists and medical schools with legal ways of obtaining cadavers.
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They killed 16 people over the course of a year, selling the cadavers to the anatomist Robert Knox.
Identification had to be made based on isolated body parts of an adult fly later identified as Piophila casei or more commonly known as the Cheese fly, which usually populate uncovered cadavers three to six months after death.
Stille's 1995 book Excellent Cadavers was made into a television movie in 1999, starring Chazz Palminteri as Giovanni Falcone and F. Murray Abraham as informant Tommaso Buscetta.
Another reason that Howard relocated to the Chicago area was that he received an agreement allowing his students to have access to anatomical study of cadavers at the nearby Cook County Hospital.