Introduction

For a considerable number of students studying human anatomy today, the educational journey of exploring the human body might not begin with a tutorial or a dissection session, or even with a customary introductory lecture. In an increasing number of institutions, it commences with a commemoration of the body donors - the people whose dead bodies, now embalmed cadavers, are to be dissected and studied during the anatomy course. Whereas these ceremonies are most often conducted in teaching spaces, they can also take place around specially created memorial objects (monuments) and in memorial spaces (memorial halls and parks). While both memorial ceremonies and objects/spaces are not new in the discipline of anatomy, they were in the past presented and carried out only sporadically and in an isolated manner. Since the mid-20th century, they have become more common and have been adopted by anatomy departments around the world, with a significantly increased frequency in the last few decades.