The Dignity of the Human Corpse in Forensic Medicine

verfasst von

Clara-Sophie Schwarz, Nikolai Münch, Johannes Wilhelm Müller-Salo, Stefan Kramer, Cleo Walz, Tanja Germerott

Abstract

Working with the dead is a very specific kind of work. Although a dignified handling of the corpses is demanded by the legislator and by the general public, neither the legal status of the corpse is undisputed nor is it obvious what a dignified handling of the deceased should consist of. In our hypothesis generating pilot study, we asked which concrete considerations are involved in daily practice of forensic specialists. We used an online questionnaire (invitations via e-mail) consisting of questions with single choice, multiple choice, and free text entries. The answers to single or multiple choice questions were displayed in pivot tables. The data was thus summarized, viewed, descriptively analyzed, and displayed together with the free text answers. 84.54% of the physicians and 100% of the autopsy assistants stated that considerations concerning the dignity of the deceased should play a role in daily autopsy practice. 45.87% stated that the conditions surrounding the autopsy need improvement to be ethically suitable. The analysis of the survey’s results was based on Robert Audi’s ethics, according to which three aspects need to be lightened in order to evaluate the conduct of a person morally: the actions, the motivation, and the way in which the actions are carried out. This systematization helps to identify the need for improvement and to make the vague demands for a dignified handling of corpses more concrete.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Philosophie

Externe Organisation(en)

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

Typ

Artikel

Journal

International Journal of Legal Medicine

Band

135

Seiten

2073-2079

Anzahl der Seiten

7

ISSN

0937-9827

Publikationsdatum

09.2021

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Pathologie und Forensische Medizin

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 3 – Gute Gesundheit und Wohlergehen

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-021-02534-x (Zugang: Offen)