Body procurement for medical education and research in Türkiye: confronting legal, institutional, and cultural challenges toward a sustainable national framework

Year 2025, Volume: 19 Issue: 3, 122 - 130, 15.01.2026

İlke Ali Gürses

Abstract

Cadaveric dissection provides a unique setting for medical students to develop spatial understanding, empathy, and professional respect for the human body. In Türkiye, however, the sustainability of this practice is challenged by persistent shortages and fragmented governance. This paper presents a national overview of the legislative, institutional, and sociocultural barriers affecting body procurement for medical education and research. It examines the three principal cadaver sources, voluntary donation, unclaimed bodies, and imported cadavers, within the existing legal and regulatory context. Legal ambiguities, overlapping authorities, and missing implementing regulations have produced inconsistent practices across faculties. Social factors, including limited family involvement, institutional reluctance, and religious hesitation, further constrain donation rates despite official religious endorsement. Addressing these challenges requires harmonized legislation, transparent institutional procedures, family-inclusive consent models, and active public engagement. A coherent national system would ensure equitable access to cadaveric resources while reinforcing anatomy’s educational and ethical foundations. Beyond logistics, sustainable body procurement must integrate respect, gratitude, and social trust, transforming donation from an administrative act into a shared moral commitment that upholds scientific progress and human dignity.

Keywords

anatomy , body donation , ethics , legacy collections , legislation , sociocultural barriers , Türkiye

References

• Lempp HK. Perceptions of dissection by students in one medical school: Beyond learning about anatomy. A qualitative study. Med Educ 2005;39:318–25.
• Ghosh SK, Kumar A. Building professionalism in human dissection room as a component of hidden curriculum delivery: a systematic review of good practices. Anat Sci Educ 2018;12:210–21.
• TSACA. Turkish Society of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy. Türkiye’de kadavra sorunu ve çözüm önerileri, 2013. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Society of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy. [Internet]. Available from: https://anatomidernegi.org.tr/belgeler-amp-formlar/ Accessed on 21 October 2025.
• Gürses İA, Coşkun O, Öztürk A. Current status of cadaver sources in Turkey and a wake-up call for Turkish anatomists. Anat Sci Educ 2018;11:155–65.
• Ertaş A, Coşkun O, Doğancı ÖI, Gürses İA. Annual distribution of body donation application rates in Istanbul, Türkiye. Anatomy 2023;17:82–7.
• Gürses İA, Ertaş A, Gürtekin B, Coşkun O, Üzel M, Gayretli Ö, Demirci MS. Profile and motivations of registered whole-body donors in Turkey: Istanbul University experience. Anat Sci Educ 2019;12:370–85.
• TSACA. Turkish Society of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy. Kadavra Bağış Süreci ve Anatomistin Sorumlulukları, 2019. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Society of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy. [Internet]. Available from: https://anatomidernegi.org.tr/belgeler-amp-formlar/ Accessed on 21 October 2025.
• Doğu HM. Cesedin bilimsel araştırmalarda kullanılması amacıyla vasiyeti: Anatomi sözleşmesi. HHFD 2022;12:1469–509.
• Erdogan K, Özen KE, Yildiz H, Malas MA. Assessment of awareness, knowledge and attitudes about the importance of cadaver and cadaver donation: report of Izmir, Turkey. Int J Morphol 2020;38:831–7.
• T.C. Resmî Gazete. Organ ve doku alınması, saklanması, aşılanması ve nakli hakkında kanun. 29 May 1979. Kanun Numarası: 2238. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Government. 5 p. 1979. [Internet]. Available from: http://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.2238.pdf. Accessed on 21 October 2025.
• Gürses İA, Çelik S, Üzel M, Barut Ç, Kurtoğlu Olgunus Z, Bilge O. A proposal for body donation forms in Turkey: study of the committee for body donation and cadaver monitoring. Anatomy 2020;14:220–6.
• Çavdar Lokumcu P, Gürses İA. Click to consent? Ethical and legal reflections on the use of electronic informed consent for whole-body donation, with Türkiye as a case study. Anat Sci Educ 2025;00:1–10.
• Kurtoğlu Olgunus Z, Yeşil Kayabaşı Ç. Evaluation of knowledge and attitudes of physicians in Turkey about body donation processes. Anatomy 2021;15:152–62.
• Nalbant A, Turhan E, Duygu ÖB. Attitudes of students who study in different departments against body donation. Med Sci Discov 2023;10:521–6.
• High Board of Religious Affairs. 2020. Kadavra bağışı caiz midir? Presidency of Religious Affairs, High Board of Religious Affairs, Ankara, Türkiye. [Internet]. Available from: https://kurul.diyanet.gov.tr/Cevap-Ara/0193c42d-b02f-7977-0f06-2f2d9a3943c8/kadavra-bagisi-caiz-midir Accessed on 21 October 2025.
• T.C. Resmî Gazete. İnsan cesedi üzerinde bilimsel araştırma yapılmasına ilişkin yönetmelik. 17 June 1982. Sayı: 17727. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Government, Ministry of Health and Social Assistance. 64 p. 1982. [Internet]. Available from: http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/arsiv/17727.pdf. Accessed on 21 October 2025.
• Ceza İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü. 02 Feb 2015. Ölü muayene ve otopsi işlemleri. Genelge No: 156. Adalet Bakanlığı, Ankara, Türkiye. [Internet]. Available from: https://rayp.adalet.gov.tr/Resimler/pdf/cigm_156.pdf Accessed on 15 November 2025.
• Farsides T, Smith CF. Consent in body donation. Eur J Anat 2020;24:239–48.
• Shupe E. Grave injustice: The continuing use of unclaimed bodies in American medicine. J Med Ethics 2025;1–8.
• Jones DG. Searching for good practice recommendations on body donation across diverse cultures. Clin Anat 2016;29:55–9.
• Farsides T, Smith CF. Posthumous autonomy: agency and consent in body donation. Philos Psychol 2025;38:599–624.
• Ok F, Gürses İA. Evaluation of information on body donation promotion at official websites of Turkish anatomy departments. Anat Sci Educ 2022;14:816–27.
• Şahin Ç. Tıp fakültelerinde kadavra eksikliği ve üniversitelerin açtıkları kadavra alım ihaleleri üzerine bir değerlendirme. HHFD 2022;12:1998–2043.
• Cornwall J, Champney TH, Hildebrandt S, Schmitt B, Wainman B, Winkelmann A. Ethical considerations on the international transfer of donated bodies and body parts. Anat Sci Educ 2024;17:909–11.
• Hildebrandt S, Cornwall J, Champney TH. More than body parts: a new ethos of anatomy education. Acad Med 2025;100:273–80.
• T.C. Resmî Gazete. Organ Nakli Hizmetleri Yönetmeliği, 2022. Sayı:32038. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Government, Ministry of Health. 38 p. 2022. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2022/12/20221209.pdf Accessed on 23 October 2025.
• T.C. Resmî Gazete. Organ nakli hizmetleri yönetmeliğinde değişiklik yapılmasına dair yönetmelik, 2025. Sayı:33029. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Government, Ministry of Health. 6 p. 2025. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2025/09/20250926.pdf Accessed on 23 October 2025.
• Teftiş Kurulu Başkanlığı. Kültür ve tabiat varlıklarıyla ilgili yüzey araştırması, sondaj ve kazı çalışmalarının yürütülmesi hakkında yönerge, 2024. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, Ankara, Türkiye. [Internet]. Available from: https://teftis.ktb.gov.tr/TR-375682/kultur-ve-tabiat-varliklariyla-ilgili-yapilacak-yuzey-arastirmasi-sondaj-ve-kazi-calismalarinin-yurutulmesi-hakkinda-yonerge.html Accessed on 06 November 2025.
• Zealley JA, Howard D, Thiele C, Balta JY. Human body donation: how informed are the donors? Clin Anat 2022;35:19–25.
• Bagian LK, Davis DC, Parker RC, Mosley CF, Balta JY. Giving a voice to our silent teachers: whole-body donation from the donor perspective at one donation program in the United States. Anat Sci Educ 2024;17:893–908.
• Balta JY, Champney TH, Ferrigno C, Johnson LE, Ross CF, Schmitt B, Smith HF. Human body donation programs best practices and recommended standards: a task force report from the American Association for Anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 2025;18:8–26.
• T.C. Resmî Gazete. Atıksu altyapı ve evsel katı atık bertaraf tesi̇sleri̇ tari̇feleri̇ni̇n beli̇rlenmesi̇nde uyulacak usul ve esaslara i̇li̇şki̇n yönetmeli̇kte deği̇şi̇kli̇k yapılmasına dair yönetmelik, 2017. Sayı: 29959. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Government, Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. 18 p. 2017. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2017/01/20170125.pdf Accessed on 21 October 2025.
• Aykut E. Mekteb-i Tıbbiye Numunehanesi’ndeki anatomi koleksi-yonları ve teratolojik numuneler. Toplumsal Tarih 2019;311:42–7.
• Cornwall J, Champney TH, De La Cova C, Hall D, Hildebrandt S, Mussell JC, Winkelmann A, DeLeon VB. American Association for Anatomy recommendations for the management of legacy anatomical collections. Anat Rec 2024;307:2787–815.
• El-Haddad J, Pather N. Macro and micro ethics in fetal and embryological collections: exploring the paradigms of informed consent among Australian education-focused stakeholders. Anat Sci Educ 2024;17:630–45.
• Ozturk GK, Bozkurt O. Cadavers with a soul: a qualitative study of individuals who donate their body. Med Rec 2023;5:204–9.
• Oktem H, Pelin C, Kurkcuoglu A, Yildirim RV, Yazici Guvercin AC. Attitudes of Turkish university employees and their relatives towards whole body and organ donation. Anat Anz 2020;229:151426.
• Sehirli US, Saka E, Sarikaya O. Attitudes of Turkish anatomists toward cadaver donation. Clin Anat 2004;17:677–681.
• Turhan B, Akcaalan M, Karahan M. Turkish anatomists’ preferences to continue teaching after death and how it is impacted by their religious beliefs. Anat Sci Educ 2024;17:1579–85.
• Özel Ç. Medeni hukuk açısından ölüm anının belirlenmesi ve ceset üzerindeki hakka ilişkin bazı düşünceler. Ankara Üni Hukuk Fak Derg 2002;51:43–77.
• Turan Başara E. Kişilik haklarının ölüm sonrası korunması ve hatırayı koruma teorisi. Çankaya Univ Huk Fak Derg 2020;5:87–102.
• T.C. Resmî Gazete. Türk Medeni Kanunu, 2001. Kanun Numarası: 4721. Ankara, Türkiye: Turkish Government. 206 p. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.4721.pdf Accessed on 25 October 2025.
• Parlak Ş. Organ bağışı ve organ naklinde ortaya çıkan sorunlar. TBB Derg 2009;83:189–222.
• Hadie SNH, Gasmalla HEE, Wadi MM, Zainul Abidin MA, Yusoff MSB. From generosity to gratitude: exploring Islamic views on body donation, cadaveric dissection, and honoring the gift of life. Anat Sci Educ 2024;17:1569–78.