Body Snatching The Robbing of Graves for the Education of Physicians

1928 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Organ donation ethics spiritual

There is no clear, cohesive argument either for or against whole body donation or even organ donation in general. However, there were some similar themes as well as key differences that manifested through the discussion for each and every religion. Often, the ideas presented were the same, just interpreted in opposing ways.

The first theme of the relationship of the body and soul as separate was almost universally accepted by every one except the Atheist. The Atheist representative neither agreed nor disagreed, simply stating that there is no proof either way. However, the idea that there is a distinctive difference between the soul and the body even if very much related was a common theme among all the other religions represented. This manifested itself in different ways, however, as some participants claimed that it is because of this connection that any physical harm to the body will have direct effects on the soul, while others claimed that this relationship is void after death with the soul moving on to another place. For example, the male Christian representative explained that because the soul moves to heaven or hell after death, it does not matter what is done to the body. This aligns with the Christian belief that the soul is separate from the body and a direct link to God. In contrast, the Hindu and Buddhist belief that the soul is connected to the body until after a proper crematory service means that whole body donation would negatively affect the soul in its journey to Enlightenment or the next life. The participants stated that this view is not agreed upon among all Hindus, but it is a major factor for why more Hindus do not donate. These results align with the proposed ideas of the soul as a distinct entity, separ...

... middle of paper ...

...r We Die: The Life and Times of the Human Cadaver (Georgetown University Press, 2010)

6. Megan J. Highet, “Body Snatching & Grave Bodies for Science,” History and Anthropology 16 (2005): 415-440

7. L. Ebony Boulware, Lloyd E. Ratner, Lisa A. Cooper, Thomas A. LaViest, Neil R. Powe, “Whole body donation for medical science: a population-based study,” Clinical Anatomy 17 (2004): 570-577

8. Sophie Bolt, Eric Venbrux, Rob Eisinga, Jan B.M. Kuks, Jan G. Veening, Peter O. Gerrits, “Motivation for body donation to science: More than an altruistic act,” Annals of Anatomy 192 (2010): 70-74

9. Kevin C. Cahill, Raj E. Ettarh, “Student attitudes to whole body donation are influenced by dissection,” Anatomical Sciences Education 1 (2008): 212-216

10. R Richardson, B Hurwitz, “Donors’ attitudes towards body donation for dissection,” The Lancet 346 (1995): 277-279

Show More
Related

  • Case Study Assignment: Opt Out Organ Donation Without Presumptions

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Saunders, the primary value of organ donation is instrumental rather than expressive. Saunders goes on to discuss that from an instrumental perspective, what matters is

    Read More

  • Comparing At the Morgue by Helen Garner and Basics Training by Deborah Hope

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article was an enjoyment to read. It provides an insider's view of what goes on in the mortuary, where not many people can access. It deals with a subject which people do not usually seek information on but are nonetheless intrigued by. The style lessens the formality of the subject, which makes it less scary to deal with. The descriptive language is effectively used. The expression of the author's feeling and thoughts encourages empathy from the reader with the author.

    Read More

  • Bill Bass 'Death's Acre'

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book “Death's Acre”, By Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson they tell readers how they got to where they are today in their careers and how Dr. Bill Bass became famous for the well known “Body Farm” at the University of Tennessee. In “Deaths Acre” Bass invites people across the world who are reading to go behind the gates of the body farm where he revolutionized forensic anthropology. Bass takes us on a journey on how he went from not knowing if this is what he wanted to do for a living to being in a career that he would never trade. He tells us about the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, explored the headless corpse of a person whose identity shocked many people included the police, divulges how the telltale traces and case

    Read More

  • The Cadaver Who Joined the Army, by Mary Roach

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    The demand for human cadaver research continues to exist. Countless notions have been voiced to augment the supply of human cadavers. Science writer Mary Roach believes that our bodies are of significant importance above ground instead of below. In “The Cadaver Who Joined the Army” Mary Roach primarily focuses on the benefits of human cadaver research and how cadaver donation can be rewarding. Mary Roach bypasses the super-replicator beliefs of human cadaver research and highlights the joy one will receive after donating their body to research. Psychologist Daniel Gilbert primarily focuses on how surrogates pass on super-replicators in which we consider truthful. In “Reporting Live From Tomorrow” Gilbert presumes that e rely on super-replicators to make choices that will determine happiness. As a surrogate, Mary Roach convinces us that through informed consent, our decision to donate our bodies to cadaver research will bring happiness.

    Read More

  • Anthony Gregory Analysis

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yearly, thousands die from not receiving the organs needed to help save their lives; Anthony Gregory raises the question to why organ sales are deemed illegal in his piece “Why legalizing organ sales would help to save lives, end violence”, which was published in The Atlantic in November of 2011. Anthony Gregory has written hundreds of articles for magazines and newspapers, amongst the hundreds of articles is his piece on the selling of organs. Gregory states “Donors of blood, semen, and eggs, and volunteers for medical trials, are often compensated. Why not apply the same principle to organs? (p 451, para 2)”. The preceding quote allows and proposes readers to ponder on the thought of there being an organ

    Read More

  • Death's Waiting List by Sally Satel

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her article, Satel criticizes the current methods governing organ sharing in the United States, and suggests that the government should encourage organ donation, whether it was by providing financial incentives or other compensatory means to the public. Furthermore, the author briefly suggests that the European “presumed consent” system for organ donation might remedy this shortage of organs if implicated in the States.

    Read More

  • A Body’s Dignity of a Maternal Brain Dead Mother

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    “In most human society's death is an extremely important cultural and social phenomenon, sometimes more important than birth” (Ohnuki-Tierney, Angrosino, & Daar et al. 1994). In the United States of America, when a body dies it is cherished, mourned over, and given respect by the ones that knew the person. It is sent to the morgue and from there the family decides how the body should be buried or cremated based on...

    Read More

  • Use of Regitine During Transplants

    1591 Words  | 4 Pages

    7. Spielman, B. (ed.) 1996. Organ and Tissue Donation; Ethical, legal, and policy issues. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Human Organ Transplantation

    2676 Words  | 6 Pages

    This limitation has made it very crucial to understand why some people would oppose donation. Countries have become multicultural and many social, religious and cultural issues have been related to human organ donation and transplantation. It is of great importance to inform and educate donors and recipients how it works and how they will still survive. There is a great deal of misconception of organ donation and procurement and these misconceptions should be corrected. Some people believe that the donor’s body is mistreated and is mutilated whereas a surgical operation is done to remove the organs without disfiguring the body hence normal funeral arrangements are still possible. It has also been identified that there is a general fear among the community that, if involved in an accident, doctors would not try to save one’s life if he knows that the patient is a

    Read More

  • Brain Death in Organ Donations

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    There has been a lot of debate concerning brain death within organ donations. This means whether the person is actually alive or dead when the doctors decide to harvest the organs. Some people and even organizations argue why it is they believe an individual is alive during the process while others argue why the donor isn’t alive. This essay shows the different positions of people and organizations regarding brain death.

    Read More

  • Mary Roach Chapter Summaries

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    Introduction: Mary Roach introduces herself ass a person who has her own perspective of death about cadavers. She explains the benefits of cadavers and why they could be used for scientific improvements. She acknowledges the negative perspectives of this ideology.

    Read More

  • Organ Harvesting Ethics

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    People in support of organ transplantation argue the cost/benefit ration and have determined their arguing points to be these: Social Responsibility, Improves the Quality of Life, alleviation of familial grief, encourages hope to live, lessens the cost of patient care, improves research and research methods. The opposing side offers an alternative view, offering these augment points: Risk of complication during and after surgery, degradation of health in the long run, adverse physiological effect on donor’s family, financial burden, objections based on religious belief, unethical trade and harvesting of human organs, and finally, the donor has no rights to choose the recipient.

    Read More

  • Organ Donation Myths

    1860 Words  | 4 Pages

    Organ donation myths have been around for a long time. These types of myths have stopped people from being organ donors as well as stopping families from letting there loved one receive a needed organ transplant. These myths are one of the main reasons for the organ shortage in the United States today. While some people decide to save another humans life some do not because of these myths surrounding organ donation. One person has the opportunity to save up to fifty lives just by deciding to be an organ donor and doing so would help with the organ shortage in the United States.

    Read More

  • Organ Donation Shortage

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    One of the most important and prevalent issues in healthcare discussed nowadays is the concern of the organ donation shortage. As the topic of organ donation shortages continues to be a growing problem, the government and many hospitals are also increasingly trying to find ways to improve the number of organ donations. In the United States alone, at least 6000 patients die each year while on waiting lists for new organs (Petersen & Lippert-Rasmussen, 2011). Although thousands of transplant candidates die from end-stage diseases of vital organs while waiting for a suitable organ, only a fraction of eligible organ donors actually donate. Hence, the stark discrepancy in transplantable organ supply and demand is one of the reasons that exacerbate this organ donation shortage (Parker, Winslade, & Paine, 2002). In the past, many people sought the supply of transplantable organs from cadaver donors. However, when many ethical issues arose about how to determine whether someone is truly dead by either cardiopulmonary or neurological conditions (Tong, 2007), many healthcare professionals and transplant candidates switched their focus on obtaining transplantable organs from living donors instead. As a result, in 2001, the number of living donors surpassed the number of cadaver donors for the first time (Tong, 2007).

    Read More

  • The Importance of Organ Donation

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...en through the example of Nickolas Green, when you donate organs you not only save one life, but often numerous. Your body has so many vital organs and tissues that can be donated and given to many different people. For many of these people, what you donate to them, can be a matter of life or death. If they don?t receive a donation soon enough, their time will run out and they will pass away. By donating organs you are giving of your body, something that will never again by seen after death. You are making the morally correct decision to help others. It seems we are all brought up to help others and give of yourself, and what better way to do so then by donating of your organs.

    Read More

More about Body Snatching The Robbing of Graves for the Education of Physicians

Open Document