Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Department of Anatomy, South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine, Malabe, Sri Lanka.
Anat Sci Educ. 2015 Sep-Oct;8(5):484-9. doi: 10.1002/ase.1525. Epub 2015 Feb 16.
Considerable attention is being given to the availability of bodies for anatomical education. This raises the question of the manner in which they are obtained, that is, whether they are unclaimed or donated. With increasing emphasis upon the ethical desirability of using body bequests, the spotlight tends to be focused on those countries with factors that militate against donations. However, little attention has been paid to cultures where donations are readily available. One such country is Sri Lanka where the majority of the Buddhist population follows Theravada Buddhism. Within this context, the expectation is that donations will be given selflessly without expecting anything in return. This is because donation of one's body has blessings for a better outcome now and in the afterlife. The ceremonies to honor donors are outlined, including details of the "Pirith Ceremony." The relevance for other cultures of these features of body donation is discussed paying especial attention to the meaning of altruism and consent, and justification for the anonymization of cadavers. The degree to which anatomy is integrated into the surrounding culture also emerges as significant.
人们非常关注用于解剖教学的尸体的供应情况。这就提出了一个问题，即这些尸体是无人认领的还是捐赠的。随着越来越强调使用遗体捐赠的伦理必要性，人们的注意力往往集中在那些不利于捐赠的因素的国家。然而，人们很少关注那些捐赠渠道畅通的文化。斯里兰卡就是这样一个国家，那里的大多数佛教徒都信奉上座部佛教。在这种背景下，人们期望能够无私地捐赠，而不期望得到任何回报。这是因为捐献自己的身体可以带来现在和来世更好的结果的祝福。概述了纪念捐赠者的仪式，包括“皮里特仪式”的细节。讨论了这些遗体捐赠特征对其他文化的相关性，特别关注利他主义和同意的含义，以及对尸体匿名化的理由。解剖学与周围文化融合的程度也显得非常重要。
