A TikTok doctor has left social media users stunned after sharing a video of the fake ‘corpses’ that medical students work on – describing them as “forbidden sushi”.
Dr Karan Rajan, a surgical doctor and lecturer at Sunderland University, regularly shares his experience and knowledge with his 4.3 million followers on the site (@dr.karanr).
One of his most recent clips has left social media users feeling queasy, as they get insight into how doctors learn about human anatomy.
In the video, Dr Rajan shows what a fake cadaver looks like, saying: “This is a forbidden sushi, also known as a synthetic cadaver.
“A fake but ultra-realistic human body that people can practise on.
“And yes that is the bootius maximus. Steady on now.
“Now these synthetic cadavers are used by doctors, surgeons and first responders.”
“Now I don’t know exactly what material they are made out of, but they have incredibly life-like feeling for their tissues. “
And they are juicy and moist just like a human body.
“And the best part is, they don’t give you a formaldehyde hangover and they can be used again and again.
“And unlike real cadavers, they’re probably more realistic as well, because real cadavers are painted a shade of boring beige because of the formaldehyde. […]
Real cadavers are getting harder and harder to come by, so this is a pretty decent alternative.”
The clip has racked up over 737,000 views and 61,000 likes, leaving some people shocked at the doctor’s choice of words.
“Juicy? its not a steak,” wrote one user. [sic]
“Rhubarb or sushi?” commented Dr Karan.
“Is it for Vegan surgeons?” commented a third person.
“Better they practice on that than me…,” wrote another person.
People from the medical community also shared their thoughts.
“They are so lucky they don’t have to smell cadavers.. we usually had lunch right after the anatomy lab,” wrote one person.
Another user said: “I know someone who helps make these and her side gig is making… adult toys.”
The doctor later explained in the comments that the reason for fewer real life bodies is due to an increase in medical students.
