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At the age of 72, I consider myself to have led a very fortunate life, thanks in part to a fine surgeon who discovered and corrected my spinal curvture at the age of ten.
But I also recognize that "we're all only here for a short visit", and having managed a cemetery in my home town for ten years, I've given some thought to the "humanly gifts" option listed on death certificates here in Pennsylvania.
A wag I once knew (and I liked him) once described my torso as akin to "a gunny sack full of coat hangers"; if some medical student can learn something from it, I wouldn't mind.
The hospital that "re-tooled" me (I wink at the portrait of that surgeon every time I pass it) suggested consulting a mortician, but none of them seem to know anything more about the practice. So if anyone here can point me in another direction, it would be appreciated.
Does your driver's license indicate you want to donate your body to science? I would think that would be the first step.
But maybe some things to keep in mind...
You might donate your body in Pennsylvania, but it might end up in Tallahasee. Sometimes bodies get sold. If you don't really care where you end up, or who with...that's fine...but some people don't realize it's not always the medical student studying you, or the young person getting your corneas. Just something to keep in mind.
Does your driver's license indicate you want to donate your body to science? I would think that would be the first step.
This is likely the easiest, however it removes much of your (or the donor's) say when it comes to the disposition of the body at TOD. If you die of old age (i.e. in your home as an example), many times organ donation is not possible due to lack of o2. If you have a specific desire, you can spell out in your will.
Try contacting a med school near you...I think they even pay your final expenses/transportation costs. The cadaver needs to be handled and prepared a little differently than that of a non-donated one.
Try contacting a med school near you...I think they even pay your final expenses/transportation costs. The cadaver needs to be handled and prepared a little differently than that of a non-donated one.
^This
A friend of mine in her late Sixties who has had something like 29 different surgeries, many for cancer (but keeps on going, she's in the middle of getting a church rummage sale going next week and if you need some work done in your house, she'll show up with her tools) is donating her body to the medical school at Rutgers University near where she lives in NJ.
Try contacting a med school near you...I think they even pay your final expenses/transportation costs. The cadaver needs to be handled and prepared a little differently than that of a non-donated one.
Many medical schools/osteopathic schools are moving away from anatomical donations for their pathology and anatomy courses. Sim manikins are taking over that area as well.
That being said there are state organizations that list participating institutions. This is the info for PA for the OP. http://www.hgrpa.org/
Does your driver's license indicate you want to donate your body to science? I would think that would be the first step.
It's only organ donation on the license.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnazzyB
But maybe some things to keep in mind...
You might donate your body in Pennsylvania, but it might end up in Tallahasee. Sometimes bodies get sold. If you don't really care where you end up, or who with...that's fine...but some people don't realize it's not always the medical student studying you, or the young person getting your corneas. Just something to keep in mind.
There are articles about body donations and possible outcomes. The OP should google because they need to be aware that the place they promise their body to may decide they can't use it because he's too old, or whatever reason, they sell it to another company who may use it or sell it too.
The OP could do something like MQ mentioned where someone she knows will be donating to Rutgers. The question is does Rutgers actually keep and use the body donation?
The OP also wants to know what happens to his body when they're done. Will they cremate him to give back to the family or could they pass it on to a place like a body farm where they have a lot of bodies left outside to decompose to study. Tennessee university has a forensic anthropology department that takes body donations. Apparently the body has to be negative for COVID lol There is also Freeman Ranch Body Farm, which I believe is the one my friend Carl went to a few years ago. He's pretty well known for his unidentified person's recons where he uses skull photos to make them come alive. He went to some sort of week long thing in Texas, stopping at the body farm was part of it. He said it was very interesting. If the OP likes something like this, they can google because there are more listed. Again, what happens to his remains when they are done or do they leave the bones there to see what the elements do to them?
A brother of my grandfather went nuts back in the 1920's. He was admitted to a state hospital where he died. His body was supposedly donated to science, with his remains unaccounted for. I hope these days there is at least a tracking system so bodies do not get lost.
There's a thread in current events about a donated body being used to make money at a pay per view dissection event. How weird to find that today after finding your thread about wanting to donate to science.
At least you get to see what we mean that where you donate may not be the one using it. The article said the company that bought the body could have paid about $10k for it, so where he was donated wanted the money from selling it.
If you do decide to do it, you may want to see if they will guarantee that they will use it "in house" and not sell it to another company and if they do want to sell you to give you back to your family instead. I don't know if they would honor that...
She donated his body to Med Ed labs so avoid them if you do decide to do it. It says they cremate and return remains when they're done with them. I wonder if she got him back yet.
The family of a deceased Louisiana man found out that his body ended up in a ticketed live human dissection as part of a traveling expo.
David Saunders, a World War II and Korean War veteran who lived in Baker, died at the age of 98 from COVID-19 complications in August. His family donated his remains to science – or so they thought:... ...his body had ended up in an "Oddities and Curiosities Expo" in Oregon.
People could watch a live human dissection on Oct. 17 for the cost of up to $500 a seat
She connected with Med Ed labs of Las Vegas when she tried to organize the donation, and the company had never worked with Death Science. Med Ed Manager Obteen Nassiri told The Advocate that Death Science had assured him the body would be used for a medical class.
Death Science allegedly pays more than $10,000 for cadavers, but the exact amount paid for David Saunders is unknown. Company founder Jeremy Ciliberto insists that Med Ed was fully aware that attendees would not be "exclusively" medical students.
Does your driver's license indicate you want to donate your body to science? I would think that would be the first step.
But maybe some things to keep in mind...
You might donate your body in Pennsylvania, but it might end up in Tallahasee. Sometimes bodies get sold. If you don't really care where you end up, or who with...that's fine...but some people don't realize it's not always the medical student studying you, or the young person getting your corneas. Just something to keep in mind.
They might want to take you early is the problem. A little accident or misstep -- oops, well, I guess he's ours early. No thanks. Fire me up and grind me into dust. They got lots of practice on me while I was living.
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