Germany. They donate their bodies to science en masse. There are enough people willing

As part of anatomy lessons Medical students study the body parts of deceased people. Medical colleges in Germany do not complain about the lack of volunteers Donating your body after death. Only in Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt Thousands of people have registered as potential body donors for scientific purposes.

In the college itself There are four thousand of them at the University of Leipzig. – We have many requests in this regard – Katja Schmidt from the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Leipzig told the German News Agency (dpa).

The Jena University Hospital registry currently includes 800 donorsAlthough none of them have been accepted for years Body donations due to the large number of existing contracts with donors. – We have concluded contracts again since the fall of this year and have noticed great interest – a hospital employee tells the German News Agency (dpa).

As the weekly magazine Der Spiegel wrote, the Department of Anatomy was also established at the Justus Liebig University in Gießen. He receives more offers than he can accept. It is needed almost annually 25-40 body donors. At the same time, the number of new applications reaches several hundred people, and there are already 2,100 people on the donor register.

Donated cadavers are mainly used in medicine and dentistry. As part of anatomy lessons, students examine preserved objects and their parts to gain basic knowledge about the subject. Anatomy exercises are also part of training in other medical professions, while further medical education includes, among others: training in the field Surgical techniqueswhich also uses donated cadavers.

Universities see different reasons for their high willingness to donate their bodies. Representatives of the medical schools in Leipzig and Dresden said it was important for lonely people to have everything prepared in case of death. Others want Free your children from the burden of burial and graveside care.

– For many, the reason is gratitude, says Katja Schmidt from the Institute of Anatomy in Leipzig. – It shows that people who have recovered from illness or received medical care for a long time want to give back.

It also plays a role Financial considerations. Anatomy institutes Covering part or all of the costs of donor funerals. For the dead who have donated their bodies, facilities maintain their graves with memorial stones or plaques. Donors are buried there anonymously. In the event of requesting burial in family graves in other cemeteries, The donor’s relatives usually have to pay for it themselves.

Body donation is legally regulated through so-called testamentary acts, which the interested parties must make personally during their lifetime. Guardians or representatives cannot do this on their behalf. Donors must be of legal age and mentally capable to make such a declaration. They can cancel it at any time.

Source: Polish editorial office of “Deutsche Welle”