Medical Science - Donating Your Body

[kia cat]

Heard George McGavin [off the BBC's One Show] saying how he's leaving his body to Medical Science as he believes it's a waste of a resource. He said he didn't belive in cremating or burying a body, when it could be of use to the Medical Profession.

It struck a chord in me. It's no different to carrying a donor card. But how would you go about it. Is there certain criteria,[age, sex, race etc] do they need the body within a certain time frame? Once your accepted do you need to carry a card around.

Most important, what do your loved ones do?
Fix a date to mourn your passing?
do they ever get the body or ashes back?

[craft1948]

My first father-in-law donated his body to medical science. Unfortunately when he died there had to be a post-mortem so his wishes couldn't be carried out.

[gness]

Why was that, Crafty?...My friend committed suicide so there was a PM but her body went to medical science...though maybe Canada is different.

That was the end for the family, Kia....they had a memorial service to honour her....x

[spudqueen]

A family friend decided she wanted to leave her body to science. She contacted the local medical school and they gave her a card to carry in her purse to say that this was her wish. However she was diagnosed with cancer and the medical school said they couldn't take a cancerous body. She arranged with a local undertaker for her to be taken straight from the hospital (where she died) to the crematorium where she was 'disposed of'. I found it very strange that there was no funeral. She died about 4 months after my Mum had died (also of cancer) and I found that having the funeral to arrange kept me busy for the first few days after her death, and then it felt like I was really saying goodbye at the funeral. So I felt sorry for the family (husband, 2 daughters 1 son-in-law and 1 grandson) of the other lady to not have that ritual.

[Buenchico]

>>> But how would you go about it

There's a website for everything these days ;-)
http://www.hta.gov.uk/bodyorganandtissuedonation/howtodonateyourbody.cfm

[jno]

they often don't accept bodies that don't serve their purposes, so you really need to decide on a back-up option.

[sherrardk]

Spoke about this tonight with a friend she's all for it, I'm not so sure but no one is having my eyes.

[jno]

shame, I'd love to see the world through your eyes, sherrardk

[Postdog]

I offered to leave my brain to medical science (very rare tumour type) but the neurosurgeon didn't know how to go about it,

[sherrardk]

Jno, hope that's a compliment :)