In 2000, 88-year-old Susan Potter bequeathed her body to science. By 2015, her body was ready to be frozen at -15 ° F, and in 2017, it was cut into 27 thousand pieces. This is because for the last 15 years of her life, Susan participated in a project to create a digital anatomical model of the human body.
Can you bequeath your body to science? Despite the fact that in Russia this process is not regulated in any way, in some countries of the world such an act will not surprise anyone. If you are going to become a body donor, then keep in mind that it is impossible to allow several accredited institutions to use it at once, even though they will probably find a use for it. And not even one. Moreover, the processes that occur with the human body after death may complicate the donation procedure somewhat. We understand what happens to the human body when it is bequeathed to science.
In which countries can you bequeath your body to scientists?
The first stop on our list is the United States of America. In this country, the donation process is not strictly regulated, while it is somewhat controversial from a legal point of view. The American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) provides accreditation to organizations that wish to accept donations from the dead, as does the International Institute for the Advancement of Medicine. However, from a legal point of view, the American Association of Tissue Banks is not obligated to do this, which can undoubtedly raise questions. Nevertheless, in the United States, donations like this are popular today, thanks in large part to publications in National Geographic.
Sunny Spain is another country where you can bequeath your body to science. The most famous institution is the Department of Anatomy and Embryology of the Faculty of Medicine of the Complutense de Madrid University. In the United Kingdom, the situation is a little more complicated. The process is overseen by the Human Tissue Authority, which cooperates with 19 licensed medical institutions. One of them can be contacted to begin the body donation process. The Human Tissue Act of 2004 makes it illegal to sell body parts in the UK, but it is not in the US.
There are strict rules in relation to donated bodies.
Promotional video:
What should be the body?
In order for organizations to accept a body as a donation, a number of conditions must be met. The applicant's medical history must be free from infectious diseases and the general state of health must be satisfactory. High fat bodies are not accepted. If death is due to violent acts or an autopsy is performed, medical facilities will also not accept the body. If the body meets the required criteria of the organizations and is accepted as a donation, a number of difficult procedures will follow. Scientists and medical staff adhere to strict ethical rules in relation to the deceased. After saying goodbye to the deceased, specialists begin embalming, during which a liquid is injected into the body to disinfect and prepare for an autopsy,after which they are sent to storage in the refrigerator for later use. It should be noted that the body can wait for its "high point" for months and even years. However, bodies cannot be stored for more than 10 years.
What is done with the donated body?
Embalmed bodies are often provided to medical students for autopsies. However, removing skin and examining muscles, nerves and organs can take months. After a detailed examination of the extracted body tissue, the remains are collected and cremated. But what else are scientists doing with the body? It turns out that some bodies become crash test “testers”, models for X-rays, and are sent to autopsies to check for all kinds of (of all possible) injuries to the body. In the United States, some donated bodies are used for forensic science purposes under the direction of the University of Tennessee. Bodies are also sent to exhibitions (partially or completely).
Medical students examine the human body.
British citizens have the opportunity to choose the organization to which they wish to bequeath their body. Moreover, you can even list the organs that will be studied by medical students, or in the course of other research, including specific diseases. And if the donor has not set a time limit, then the body is cremated after 3 years. Some organs can be donated several times to different institutions. Also, the donor can indicate a specific disease for which he would like to donate the body, but there is no guarantee that this will happen.
Lyubov Sokovikova