The Silent Teachers of Medicine Remembered with Respect and Gratitude at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine

The donors who teach future physicians the human body in the anatomy laboratory were remembered at a ceremony held at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine. As part of Body Donation Awareness Week, 24-31 October 2026, the Department of Anatomy organised the “Ceremony of Remembrance and Gratitude for the Silent Teachers of Medicine” to draw attention to the place of body donation in medical education and to remember the donors.

The ceremony began at 10.40 on Monday, 26 October 2026, in the Türkan Saylan Amphitheatre, with a minute of silence in memory of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his comrades in arms, followed by the National Anthem. The Dean, Prof. Dr. Murat Ünal, the Vice Dean, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Başhan, faculty members and students in white coats who filled the amphitheatre came together for the ceremony.

Giving the opening speech, the Head of the Department of Anatomy, Prof. Dr. Deniz Uzmansel, thanked the Dean, Prof. Dr. Murat Ünal, the Vice Dean, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Başhan, faculty members and students for attending. Prof. Dr. Uzmansel expressed gratitude to the body donors, and to the citizens without next of kin whose bodies were brought to the anatomy laboratory for education, for their contribution to medical education.

Describing the laboratory today in figures, Prof. Dr. Uzmansel noted that the department had only one donated cadaver in 2009, that half of the cadavers in the laboratory are now obtained through donation, and that the number of donors has reached 177. Stating that the remembrance ceremonies, which have become a tradition, express the gratitude felt towards donors and also raise awareness of body donation in society, Prof. Dr. Uzmansel emphasised that cadavers are indispensable for learning healthy anatomical structure.

Prof. Dr. Uzmansel called on the physicians of the future to respect the human body, their patients and the ethical values of the profession throughout their careers, and remembered all donors with gratitude on behalf of physicians, students and society.

In a speech entitled “Immortality”, the Head of the Department of History of Medicine and Ethics, Prof. Dr. Oya Ögenler, discussed humanity’s efforts throughout history to make sense of life, death and what comes after death. Recalling that physicians have worked from the past to the present to extend human life and improve its quality, Prof. Dr. Ögenler said that donors who dedicate their bodies to science allow knowledge to pass from generation to generation and what is learned to turn into professional skill. In Prof. Dr. Ögenler’s words, this contribution, which keeps knowledge and experience alive across generations, is in a sense an expression of immortality.

A poem read at the ceremony by our student Yavuz Selim Fırat filled the hall with emotion. Written in the voice of a cadaver, the poem spoke of approaching the human body with love, respect and gratitude, and conveyed the contribution that a donor who dedicates their body to medical education makes to the training of future physicians. The Dean, Prof. Dr. Murat Ünal, presented a certificate of appreciation to Fırat for the poem.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Dean, Prof. Dr. Murat Ünal, thanked the Department of Anatomy for organising it. Noting that medical education is a multifaceted process in which knowledge, skills and attitudes are acquired together, Prof. Dr. Ünal said that anatomy forms the foundation of this process and that hands-on training on cadavers is of great importance for helping students consolidate their theoretical knowledge and develop their professional skills.

Prof. Dr. Ünal recalled that he first encountered a cadaver in 1988, during his own medical education, and said that this experience holds an unforgettable place in his medical career. He emphasised that the first encounter with a cadaver is an important experience in understanding the meaning of medical education and the responsibility of the medical profession.

Stating that those who contribute to medical education by donating their bodies should be remembered with respect and gratitude, Prof. Dr. Ünal drew attention to the importance of future physicians being equipped with values such as truthfulness, honesty, respect and responsibility. Prof. Dr. Ünal emphasised that good medical practice requires, alongside knowledge and skills, integration with human and ethical values.

The ceremony ended with a group photo.

As Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, we remember with respect, gratitude and appreciation all our donors who have contributed to medical education, to the advancement of science and to humanity by donating their bodies.