Doctor dissects father’s body to teach anatomy

BELGAUM - In a rare instance in the medical field, an Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) doctor in this north Karnataka city Saturday dissected the embalmed body of his father to teach anatomy to his students.

Mahantesh Ramannavar, 40, has been teaching anatomy to his students at the Kankanwadi Ayurveda medical college in Belgaum, 550 km from the Karnataka capital Bangalore, with the help of the body of his father B.S. Ramannavar, who was also an ayurveda practitioner.

Mahantesh chose Nov 13 to dissect the body as it was his father’s second death anniversary. Ramannavar was 89 when he passed away and had willed that his body should be donated to a hospital.

Surrounded by a group of around 20 students, including girls, and watched from outside by his family members and media persons, Mahantesh went about dissecting the body with steady hands.

Mahantesh’s mother, sister and other relatives were present at the college as show of support for him in carrying out the dissection.

Just ahead of Mahantesh starting the dissection, he and his mother were facilitated by the management of the college run by K.L.E. (Karnataka Lingayat Education) Society. The society is headed by Prabhakar Kore, who is a Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha member.

Kore said this must be the first such instance of a son dissecting the body of his father to explain anatomy to his students. He said Ramannavar’s widow had personally invited him to be present at the college when her son dissects her husband’s body.

Mahantesh told reporters ahead of his exercise that he was fully prepared to carry out the dissection without any emotion.

“I have been using the body to teach anatomy to my students for several days now. I have learned to control my emotions. All family members, including my mother, have backed my decision,” he said.