"Commemoration and Gratitude Ceremony for the Silent Teachers of Medicine" Was Held at Our University's Faculty of Medicine

The Department of Anatomy at our university’s Faculty of Medicine organized the “Ceremony to Honor and Thank Medicine’s Silent Teachers” to highlight the importance of body donation in medical education and to gratefully commemorate the donors who have contributed to science.

Held in the Türkan Saylan Auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine as part of Body Donation Awareness Week (October 24–31), the ceremony began with a moment of silence and the recitation of the Turkish National Anthem. The program, held on Monday, October 26, was attended by the Dean of our University’s Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Dr. Murat Ünal; the Associate Dean, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Başhan; faculty members; and a large number of students.

Prof. Dr. Deniz Uzmansel, Chair of the Department of Anatomy, delivered the opening remarks. She highlighted the importance of body donation for medical education and emphasized the need to honor and express gratitude to donors who contribute to the training of future generations of physicians by dedicating their bodies to science.

“The Medical Profession Must Be Integrated with Humanistic and Ethical Values”

Expressing his gratitude to the Department of Anatomy for their efforts in organizing the event, Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Murat Ünal stated that medical education is a multifaceted process requiring the simultaneous acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and that anatomy forms the foundation of this process. Noting that practical training conducted on cadavers is of great importance for students to reinforce their theoretical knowledge and develop their professional skills, Prof. Dr. Ünal mentioned that he first encountered a cadaver during his own medical education in 1988 and that this experience holds an unforgettable place in his journey as a physician. Pointing out the importance of equipping future physicians with values such as accuracy, honesty, respect, and responsibility, Ünal emphasized that being a good physician is not limited to acquiring knowledge and skills but must be integrated with humanistic and ethical values.

Number of Donors Reaches 177

Expressing gratitude for the valuable contributions made to medical education by body donors and unclaimed citizens transferred to the anatomy laboratory for educational purposes, Prof. Dr. Deniz Uzmansel noted that the traditional memorial ceremonies have significantly contributed to raising public awareness of body donation. Noting that while there was only one donated cadaver in 2009, today half of the cadavers in the laboratory are obtained through donations and the number of donors has reached 177, Uzmansel reminded the audience that cadavers are indispensable for learning healthy anatomical structures.

“Bodies Dedicated to Science Symbolize Immortality”

Prof. Dr. Oya Ögenler, Chair of the Department of History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, in her speech titled “Immortality,” addressed humanity’s efforts throughout history to make sense of life, death, and the afterlife. Noting that body donors make significant contributions to the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next and to the transformation of acquired knowledge into professional skills, Ögenler emphasized that this contribution—which ensures that knowledge and experience endure across generations—in a sense embodies immortality.

A poem read at the ceremony by Yavuz Selim Fırat, a student at our University’s Faculty of Medicine—which reflected the emotions expressed through the voice of a cadaver—provided participants with deeply moving moments. A certificate of appreciation was presented to student Yavuz Selim Fırat—who contributed to the event with his poem conveying that the human body should be approached not with fear, but with love, respect, and gratitude—by Dean Prof. Dr. Murat Ünal.

Through this meaningful ceremony, our university’s Faculty of Medicine once again emphasized the importance of equipping future physicians not only with professional knowledge and skills but also with humanistic and ethical values, and paid tribute with gratitude and appreciation to all donors who have contributed to humanity and the advancement of science by donating their bodies.

Press and Public Relations Department