Nursing
Abstract
In this research paper we have identified the basic criteria by which we will compare and contrast funeral rituals practiced in 10 different cultures: Bali, Tibet, Kiribati, Hawaii, Mongolia, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, Indonesia, Varanasi, India, and China. In order to contrast and compare funeral practices we have identified the following criteria: time between the time of death and the funeral ritual, way to preserve the body until the funeral, number of people that have a contact with a deseased body, method of body disposal, and other special ceremonies. Among the countries that expose the riskiest practices are: Bali, Indonesia, and Madagascar.
The conclusion drawn upon research is the applicability of medical personnel role to minimise the risks caused by such practices.
Keywords: ritual, infections, hygiene, vaccinations.
Thus, after comparing and contrasting funeral practices across the cultures we can identify the practices that present the highest risks of contamination and possible infection of the people involved. One of the risky practices referred to as Famidihana in Madagascar involves taking out the corpse from the ground every seven years and dancing with it (Dorsey, 2008). The funeral practice in Indonesia, where the funeral procedure is spontaneous and not strictly rigid about the body preservation and lack of exact timeframe for body disposal along with high exposure to the corpse by unrestricted amount of family members present the highest risks for contamination with all kinds of stomack infections, and viruses. Another funeral practice that might present a risk for the public at large is practiced in Bali, where the bodies are stacked into the massive grave until they can be buried. There are foods and flowers used to decorate the place around the bodies and the whole village participates in parading the bodies through the village until they can be burned (Dorsey, 2008). Such practices come out of the cultural beliefs which for the most part view death as a metaphysical experience and a different shape of life, and not a final physical notion. That is why the people and the family members involved in the ceremonies would rather try to offer gifts to the spirits, than perform strict sanitary protocol routines in order to avoid infections. That is why the medical personnel in these circumstances should be mindful and respectful, yet proactive in informing about the real dangers that are there while interacting with corpse materials, and cause-effect relationship between the infections and not adhering to the basic hygiene rules. Many countries, including Hawaii, and China are shifting towards strictly governed procedures dictated by the hospital and proffessional personnel during the funerals, while still being able to maintain culturally important rituals (Pentaris, 57). The approach towards other cultures that involve risky practices should be complex. For the most part they are caused by the povetry of the families and their low social status which disables them from organizing a funeral on time, or paying the proper proffessionals to embalm the body or do other procedures. At the same time they have little awareness of the risks involved and that is why should be properly educated not to touch the dead body without proper clothing, use contemporary sanitizing materials, and the risks of food and water contamination from such practices as mass grave or bodies thrown into water to decompose which contaminates it, and and be especially careful in treating wounds to avoid risks of infections transmitted through blood, and other fluids. The medical personnel should also do everything within their capacity to prevent risks of deseases that can be avoided by administering proper vaccination against.
References:
- Dorsey, J. (2008, June 25). 10 EXTRAORDINARY BURIAL CEREMONIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- Funeral Rituals around the World. (2014, November 9). Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- McBride, P. (2014, August 7). The Pyres of Varanasi: Breaking the Cycle of Death and Rebirth. National Geographic.
- Pentaris, P. (n.d.). Culture and Death: A multicultural perspective. Hawaii Pacific Journal of Social Work Practice, 4(1), 49-59.
