What are the steps for donating your body to science?

Question

I want to donate my body to science after I die and would like to know if there are any forms or places to contact to inform them of this? I have put this request in my will already. I don't plan on dying anytime soon but I would like to know this information but would like to know just in case something does happen in the near future.

Also, I would like to know if any body part remain will they be able to send them back to family to cremate?

Thanks
I heard about something called a bequest form? Info please?

Answer 1

What are the steps for donating your body to science?

Pre-register your donation with a local medical school or university. You'll be given a registration packet that covers policies and procedures; read it very carefully.

2Step Two-Sign a consent form stating your desire to donate your body, and put a copy of it with your will and other personal documents. You won't be listed as a donor until a completed form has been returned and acknowledged. Cancel your decision at any time by notifying the medical school or university in writing.

3Step Three-Arrange for the medical school or university to be notified when you die, so that your body can be properly transported and prepared. When your corpse is delivered to the medical institution, it will be embalmed and refrigerated until it's needed for study.

4Step Four-Check with the school to see what its policies and procedures are regarding your body after it has been studied. Most institutions will respectfully cremate your remains at their expense and give your ashes to your loved ones. Don't expect to get paid for your donation pre- or postmortem. By law, medical schools are not permitted to purchase anyone's body.

5Step-Five-Contact the United Network for Organ Sharing (unos.org), a national group that oversees organ transplantation procedures in this country, for more information on donating your body.

6Step Six-Rest in peace? Perhaps not: Your spouse, adult children, siblings, parents and guardians can arrange to have your body donated after you die by filling out an after-death donor form. In the event that your body cannot be accepted, your family needs to make alternate plans for your disposal.

Answer 2

There's a difference between donating your body to science and being an organ donor. As an organ donor, your body will still be available for your family to dispose of; if you donate your body to science, that's not usually the case. By the way, do you know that the skin is considered an organ? So, it may be that every square inch of your body could be used in either scenario. Also, as an organ donor, your donation will not necessarily go to someone; it may also be used for research. Most bodies that are donated to science end up as "study cadavers" in medical schools for students to use for practice.
In most states, you can obtain an organ donor card at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or whatever your state's agency is for obtaining drivers' licenses. The information is kept with your license information - very handy if you're killed in an auto accident. You probably can also get the forms from any hospital. Usually you will also receive (or should make and laminate) a small card to keep in your wallet so you can promptly be identified as a donor if you pass away in an accident. Since you're more interested in donating your body to science, you might want to consider being sure that your attorney has an envelope "to be opened immediately in the event of my death - before any funeral arrangements are made" just to be sure you don't have to be exhumed.

Answer 3

I'd certainly donate my organs (my family knows my wishes, and my driver's license organ donation form is signed). If it was felt that my body as a whole could help someone, then that's fine too. I'd simply ask that it all be buried appropriately after it was of no use to anyone. By the way, I believe that burial is considerably more natural than cremation; it returns the nutrients to the food chain that would otherwise be destroyed in cremation. It is my wish to be buried in traditional Jewish fashion, meaning no embalming, in a plain wooden casket with no metal fittings, so that decomposition can take place normally and naturally. Smoke and ash is of no use to the earth, and pollutes the atmosphere; decomposed organic remains feed other organisms.

Answer 4

Contact your state's Department of Health and ask about their State Anatomical Program (or equivalent).

Here is an excerpt from the Virginia Department of Health:
"The disposition of the body is arranged by the school and the remains are either buried or cremated and cremains scattered in a respectful manner. You may inquire with the Anatomical Program regarding donor request for return of cremains. The bodies received are used strictly for the purpose of medical education in the instruction of anatomy and science. There are no autopsies performed and no pathological reports prepared."

Answer 5

I think that they use the entire part for scientific research. Starting with medical studies by med students, to harvesting the eyes for studies, all the way down to studying the crematory ashes for chemical changes in the cells. I don't know how to go about this, but I am sure if you do organ donor research on the internet you should be able to find out more information. My mom has donated her body to science upon her death.

Answer 6

the body world exhibit at the museum of science is closed it closed last January so you can ask at the information desk when you go to the museum of science.

Answer 7

Research the cost to your family or estate. I've read a couple horror stories, financially.
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Answer 8

get a donor card and it asks you what organs you would like to donate, i have a donor card and they can take everything that works...so sign up for a donor card and they will send you one through the post....

Answer 9

it varies from place to place. Contact your nearest hospital or medical school. They will be very happy to hear from you.

Answer 10

your lawyer should be able to find this information out for you and should have explained this to you when you made your will.