Britain | Water, water everywhere

The pandemic has caused a shortage of cadavers

Surgical training is suffering as a result

PRESS A KNIFE into human flesh and, as the blade slides in, the sensation subtly changes. Human skin, says Claire Smith, professor of anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, “feels like chicken skin”; it is “slightly rougher” and “not always slippery”. Slice into a human artery, meanwhile, and you will feel “a little bit of springback”; while veins just feel “flat” and nerves, says Dr Smith, “feel like a noodle”.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Water, water everywhere”

Govcoins: The digital currencies that will transform finance

From the May 8th 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Blue lights flashing on an ambulance

Many Britons are waiting 12 hours at A&E

The crisis in emergency care has deep roots

Members of the public look at a floral tribute in Southport in memory of three children killed at a dance studio in the city in July 2024

Is British justice too secretive?

Controversy rages over what happened both before and after a horrendous mass stabbing



The rise of the Net-Zero Dad

Middle-aged men care less about the problem. But they love the solution 

Backing Heathrow expansion suggests Labour is serious about boosting growth

It is the surest sign yet that the government is up for the fight