This is definitely the first deal breaker for many - and I definitely can relate :)
Dissection of a body separated a physician from the general public. It was the first course in the medical curriculum and a rite of passage that many could not muster. Dissection deterred many from entering the profession. Being photographed with one’s cadaver visually documented the transition from lay-person to physician. In the nineteenth century, physicians hung these photographs in their medical offices. Death was a part of everyday nineteenth century life; the images did not seem out of place in a medical office.
Via The Burns Archive : A Student's Dream: Dissection Photography