Body Snatching The Robbing of Graves for the Education of Physicians

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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...

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...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

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