Summary points: (1) Dissection of the human body is an integral component of medical education but requires body donors and appropriate respect in students; (2) The non-anonymous relationship between donors and students in Taiwan, and the reverent process applied, allow students to better perceive cadavers as people and as teachers, rather than objects; (3) Interactions with donors’ families provide opportunities for students to reflect and to develop compassion, gratitude, respect, and giving, which may help students to cope with typical anxieties in confronting death; (4) This approach to dissection seems successful in attracting potential donors despite prevailing cultural concerns not to disturb the deceased