Similar scenes played out across the country this spring, as medical, dental and physical therapy students gathered to offer their condolences to full body donors and their families. During the ceremony, students play music, light candles, read letters, and share art. (An illustration of the heart from a study of Ms. Zhang’s anatomy was superimposed with whimsical drawings of books, tree roots, and human figures, projected behind her as she gave a lecture in Colombia.) Interfaith Spiritual Guidance often play a role. In some cases, it may also include designating trees and offering flowers to the donor’s family.
It is not clear how many people in the United States donate their bodies to medical research and education, but estimates suggest: about 20,000 people or their families do every year. Criteria vary by program and state. Generally, anyone over the age of 18 can become a donor, but people with certain communicable diseases such as hepatitis B or C, tuberculosis, HIV, and AIDS are usually excluded. Many programs also exclude corpses that have been dissected or whose organs have been removed for donation.
Despite the introduction of sophisticated 3D visualization software, anatomy remains the cornerstone of medical education for most first-year students, as it has for centuries. Students spend months systematically studying body structures such as organs, tendons, veins, and tissues. This experience teaches me more than the basics of medicine. Joy Barta, chairman of the Human Body Donation Committee of the American Academy of Anatomies, said treating donors, who are considered first patients to physicians, with respect and care gives students a foundation of ethics and professionalism. rice field.
recognize the sacrifice
Body donation is a selfless act by donors and their families, and it can take years to receive the remains. Commemorative ceremonies, often called thanksgiving ceremonies or ceremonies of thanksgiving, honor sacrifices.
“It allows you to think about the donors you’ve worked with,” says Dr. Barta, who is also director of the Anatomy and Learning Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. “These people offered their bodies to help you work together to improve science and medicine,” he added.
