Medicina Fluminensis, Vol. 44 No. 2, 2008.
Pregledni rad
An asian perspective on organ transplants
Michael Cheng-tek Tai
; Chung Shan Medical University, College of Medical Humanities & Social Sciences, Taichung, Taiwan
Sažetak
The dramatic progress of medical technology in organ transplants has enabled many whose organs were damaged to resume productive lives and live longer.
Although the first successful transplantation took place in Boston in 1954, the real breakthrough of organ transplantation came three decades later, after the discovery of Cyclosporin A. Today, it is possible to transplant most organs including kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, lungs, skin, bone marrow and cornea. When heart transplant was first attempted in 1967 in South Africa, voices of profound concerns were raised asking how could something representing someone’s personality be changed at will? Could human organs be treated as automobile parts and be replaced with new ones when malfunctional? Gradually, transplantations have become routine procedures for those who could afford it.
In Asia, transplant operations have been carried out daily. In some countries, rumours have been that many people sell their organs in exchange for money. It has also been reported repeatedly that criminals, including political prisoners, in certain Asian countries were used as sources of organs supplies for transplants. The controversy of organ transplant still lingers on despite the fact that this technology has become a rutine procedure in medical treatments.
Asian countries are rich in their religious and moral teachings. What are the attitudes of Asian sages and traditional values towards this new technology? If transplantation procedures have become a big enterprise in Asia, are the traditional moral values in Asia in favor of this? The aim of this review is to address some of these questions.
Ključne riječi
moral values; organ transplantation; phylosophy; religion
Hrčak ID:
26835
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.9.2008.
Posjeta: 2.418 *