In 2020, a transparent bank account and a fundraising campaign were launched on the Donio platform, allowing the general public to contribute to the memorial. Benefit concerts were held, and the student art competition da MEDici took place – its best works were sold via a virtual auction, all to raise funds for the creation of the memorial. In addition to these student initiatives, the Faculty of Medicine also contributed financially to the construction of the burial vault.
“The original idea was to create only a memorial similar to the one in Vienna, which simply expresses gratitude to body donors. Later, thanks to the director of the cemetery, we expanded our concept – and now, in addition to the memorial, we also have a burial vault,” said Marek Joukal, head of the Department of Anatomy. Until the memorial was established, the cremated remains of donors were scattered on a memorial meadow, but they can now be interred in the new vault. “I think this is very important for the families and loved ones of the deceased, so that they have a place to visit,” Joukal added.
The opportunity to work with real human bodies is invaluable for medical students and other healthcare professionals. “Regardless of their specialization, all doctors – and even other health professionals – must undergo anatomy training. Today, there is a vast range of study materials available, and, thanks to technological advances, we have possibilities we could only have dreamed of before. Nevertheless, nothing can replace the oldest and most natural form of learning – working with real bodies, which we owe entirely to the generosity of those who chose to become donors,” said David Neuman, president of the Masaryk University Medical Students’ Association and a general medicine student, in his speech.
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Martin Repko highlighted the importance of this opportunity also for practicing doctors, who seek to further develop professionally and to refine their skills. He also emphasized the high standard of Czech medical faculties, made possible thanks to body donors – as legislation in some countries does not allow this kind of teaching. This, he added, makes Masaryk University’s Faculty of Medicine particularly attractive to international students.
The Memorial to Body Donors and the burial vault were created at Brno Central Cemetery based on a design by architect Petr Keith. They were built under the supervision of Radka Levínská, who restored an abandoned tomb belonging to the Bašný family, which the faculty received from the cemetery administration. The Bašný tomb was declared a cultural monument in 1958, so the restoration took place under the supervision of the National Heritage Institute.
Following the unveiling of the memorial, the annual Remembrance for Body Donors ceremony was held in the ceremonial hall. This event has been organized jointly by representatives of the Faculty of Medicine and the Masaryk University Medical Students’ Association since 2018.
More information about the Memorial to Body Donors – including details about the transparent account for ongoing donations, which will be used for the memorial’s upkeep – can be found here.
The author of this article is a student at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, and an intern on the student editorial team of M Magazine.