A video of a national course of the Italian Society of Forensic Medicine, in which doctors are seen dancing while cutting up corpses, has made the rounds on the web, sparking numerous controversies. Professor Cristoforo Pomara, professor of forensic medicine at the University of Catania and among those responsible for the training, published a long note to clarify the incident and defend the work of his team.
“I learned with dismay from the press of the illegal broadcast of a video made during an anatomical exercise abroad and which unduly refers to the preparatory work for a session of the national congress of the Italian Society of Forensic Medicine entitled 'Live Autopsy' and the session I am responsible for.”
“Never, I repeat in my name and in the name of all those present, none of us wanted to lack respect. On the contrary, this respect was lacking in those who broadcast the video in defiance of all principles of confidentiality and that for this reason he will have to be responsible before the judicial authorities and, in the case of a doctor or an academic, also before the competent disciplinary bodies. To this end, I have given a specific mandate to my. lawyer”.
In the video, some doctors dance to the rhythm of “Gioca Jouer” while other colleagues perform an autopsy.
“I would like to immediately point out – adds Pomara – that, contrary to what was erroneously reported in the press, the illegally broadcast video was made during a break during an anatomical exercise abroad on bodies given to purposes of study and training and therefore absolutely detached from the professional medico-legal context. It was not a judicial autopsy nor a diagnostic finding. takes no responsibility that deserves credit for promoting, for the first time in the company's history, a live corpse session. Nor can we assign blame or responsibility to the various academic institutions to which I belong and to which the colleagues involved in the illegally distributed video belong. We worked for a week on very difficult dissection techniques, even more than 12 hours a day from morning until late evening in the dissection room to make the most of the time. allocated to dissection activity.
Pomara explained that the exercise, which lasted seven hours, required enormous concentration from the participants and that music and dancing were a way of dissipating tension.
The professor apologizes for the upset that the video may have caused, but reiterates that the work done during the course was serious and professional.
“I can only apologize on behalf of myself and everyone present, not so much for what happened, but for the fact that it was broadcast illegally and passed on to social media in a way that provoked maybe some disturbances.”
