Department of Oral Biology, Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Human Identification Research Center, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, South Korea.
Anat Sci Educ. 2011 Jan-Feb;4(1):33-8. doi: 10.1002/ase.198. Epub 2011 Jan 11.
Until a century ago, Korean medicine was based mainly on Oriental philosophies and ideas. From a religious perspective, Chinese Confucianism was prevalent in Korea at that time. Since Confucianists believe that it is against one's filial duty to harm his or her body, given to them by their parents, most Koreans did not donate their bodies or organs for education in the past. However, by the end of the 20th century, a unique fusion of Western and Oriental medicines were produced on the Korean Peninsula, revolutionizing traditional perspectives on the human body, mortality, and the relationship of medical science to society. Koreans began to think about others' lives as well as their own by realizing the importance of donating one's organs and bodies for scientific purposes. Since then, the number of people donating their bodies to Korean medical and dental schools for the purpose of improving academic learning has increased dramatically. In response, Korean medical schools have begun to hold various types of funeral ceremonies to honor body donors. We have compared such ceremonies performed in Korea with those performed in the United States of America and Taiwan. These ceremonies are viewed as a suitable way to pay proper respect to the dead and to promote knowledge about body donation programs in Korea. Overall, the transition of religions and social ethics in Korea has greatly facilitated body bequeathal programs, benefiting both medical education and the Korean public health administration.
直到一个世纪以前，韩国医学主要基于东方哲学和思想。从宗教的角度来看，当时中国的儒家思想在韩国盛行。由于儒家学者认为伤害自己由父母给予的身体是不孝的，因此，过去大多数韩国人不会捐献自己的身体或器官用于教育。然而，到 20 世纪末，朝鲜半岛上产生了一种独特的西方和东方医学的融合，彻底改变了人们对人体、死亡和医学与社会关系的传统观念。通过认识到捐献器官和身体用于科学目的的重要性，韩国人开始思考他人的生命以及自己的生命。从那时起，为了提高学术学习而向韩国医科和牙科学校捐献遗体的人数急剧增加。作为回应，韩国医科学校开始举行各种类型的葬礼来纪念遗体捐献者。我们比较了在韩国、美国和中国台湾举行的此类仪式。这些仪式被视为向死者表示适当敬意和促进韩国遗体捐献计划知识普及的合适方式。总的来说，韩国宗教和社会伦理的转变极大地促进了遗体捐赠计划，使医学教育和韩国公共卫生管理都受益。
