Abstract
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 33-38 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Anatomical Sciences Education |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2011 Jan 1 |
Fingerprint
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Anatomy
- Histology
- Embryology
Cite this
}
The trend of body donation for education based on Korean social and religious culture. / Park, Jong Tae; Jang, Yoonsun; Park, Min Sun; Pae, Calvin; Park, Jinyi; Hu, Kyung-Seok; Park, Jin Seo; Han, Seung Ho; Koh, Ki Seok; Kim, Heejin.
In: Anatomical Sciences Education, Vol. 4, No. 1, 01.01.2011, p. 33-38.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The trend of body donation for education based on Korean social and religious culture
AU - Park, Jong Tae
AU - Jang, Yoonsun
AU - Park, Min Sun
AU - Pae, Calvin
AU - Park, Jinyi
AU - Hu, Kyung-Seok
AU - Park, Jin Seo
AU - Han, Seung Ho
AU - Koh, Ki Seok
AU - Kim, Heejin
PY - 2011/1/1
Y1 - 2011/1/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79251498929&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79251498929&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ase.198
DO - 10.1002/ase.198
M3 - Article
C2 - 21265035
AN - SCOPUS:79251498929
VL - 4
SP - 33
EP - 38
JO - Anatomical Sciences Education
JF - Anatomical Sciences Education
SN - 1935-9772
IS - 1
ER -