British investigators have discovered a truth that butchers have long understood: people are more comfortable with dead bodies when they are disassembled. A whole cow might be distressing, but seeing a brisket can evoke thoughts of a meal. When human remains are presented in isolated parts, such as a leg, the emotional connection to the deceased is diminished, making it easier for people to accept the dismemberment as just another form of flesh, devoid of its past life.

This detachment allows for the necessary emotional distance in cadaveric research. Dissected body parts lose their identifiers—no faces, hands, or personal stories associated with them, which helps to eliminate the feelings typically tied to a once-living individual. Viewing these body parts simply as tissue enables researchers to conduct studies and experiments that would otherwise be deemed inhumane if they involved a sentient being.