The Dignity of the Human Corpse in Forensic Medicine

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Autoren

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

Organisationseinheiten

Externe Organisationen

  • Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Forschungs-netzwerk anzeigen

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)2073-2079
Seitenumfang7
FachzeitschriftInternational Journal of Legal Medicine
Jahrgang135
Ausgabenummer5
Frühes Online-Datum11 März 2021
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Sept. 2021

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.

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Zitieren

The Dignity of the Human Corpse in Forensic Medicine. / Schwarz, Clara-Sophie; Münch, Nikolai ; Müller-Salo, Johannes Wilhelm et al.
in: International Journal of Legal Medicine, Jahrgang 135, Nr. 5, 09.2021, S. 2073-2079.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Schwarz, C-S, Münch, N, Müller-Salo, JW, Kramer, S, Walz, C & Germerott, T 2021, 'The Dignity of the Human Corpse in Forensic Medicine', International Journal of Legal Medicine, Jg. 135, Nr. 5, S. 2073-2079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-021-02534-x
Schwarz, C.-S., Münch, N., Müller-Salo, J. W., Kramer, S., Walz, C., & Germerott, T. (2021). The Dignity of the Human Corpse in Forensic Medicine. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 135(5), 2073-2079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-021-02534-x
Schwarz CS, Münch N, Müller-Salo JW, Kramer S, Walz C, Germerott T. The Dignity of the Human Corpse in Forensic Medicine. International Journal of Legal Medicine. 2021 Sep;135(5):2073-2079. Epub 2021 Mär 11. doi: 10.1007/s00414-021-02534-x
Schwarz, Clara-Sophie ; Münch, Nikolai ; Müller-Salo, Johannes Wilhelm et al. / The Dignity of the Human Corpse in Forensic Medicine. in: International Journal of Legal Medicine. 2021 ; Jahrgang 135, Nr. 5. S. 2073-2079.
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AU - Germerott, Tanja

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