would you donate too?

[temmie]

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Seeing how important cadavers are to medical training. would you donate your body? Just wondering

 

[2Sexy4MedSchool]

This is the first really interesting question I've seen posted in a long time. I was discussing this with my wife last weekend, and I have to admit I'm torn. On the one hand, yes, there is tremendous value to education blah blah blah. Right, I'm all with you. And I have absolutely no problem donating if someone needed a kidney or bone marrow, pre- or post-mortem. (Heck, I've given enough blood over the years to fill an SUV's gas tank.)

But to me there seems to be a difference between donating organs for transplant with donating my whole body for dissection -- I just can't articulate what that difference is. The latter just feels wrong. Anyone else in the same boat?

 

[Callogician]

This seems like a good place to post my dying wishes:

In that case that I, Callogician, unexpectedly die, it is my dying wish that...

1) No one mourn my death for more than 3 days
2) The cost of my funeral and burial is not to exceed $750
3) My good and bad traits are to be described honestly to those who ask.
4) My body/body parts and assets are to be used in a way which is deemed to have the overall greatest contribution to the total happiness of mankind by plurality vote of my first degree relatives.
5) No stupid gushy plaques about my early death anywhere.
6) Ha ha US government! You dont' get to collect my debt!

I trust that this information will be delivered to my family members in a timely fashion if my death is discovered.

Thank you in advance.

 

[temmie]

3) My good and bad traits are to be described honestly to those who ask.

.[/QUOTE]

very funny

 

[Pharos]

No offense meant for those of you choosing no for religious reasons, but for those not based on religion - yikes!!! I thought for sure I would see an almost resounding yes when I looked at the poll. Why not folks? ...genuinely curious not trying to slam anyone. I wonder what the general population stats are for a question like this. I guess I just assumed that those individuals involved in medicine most definitely would?!? Very suprising to me.

 

[Pharos]

By the way...anybody interested in this should read the book titled Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It is probably the most thought provoking and entertaining book I have read in a long time (and I read a fair amount). Everyone thinks of gross anatomy in reference to body donation - you have no idea what other things they use cadavers for...check out the book!

 

[CatsandCradles]

No offense meant for those of you choosing no for religious reasons, but for those not based on religion - yikes!!! I thought for sure I would see an almost resounding yes when I looked at the poll. Why not folks? ...genuinely curious not trying to slam anyone. I wonder what the general population stats are for a question like this. I guess I just assumed that those individuals involved in medicine most definitely would?!? Very suprising to me.

A pastor nearby one medical school I know passed away and donated his body to the school. It was on the orbituary. The guy was one of those "save the world and feed the poor" fanatics. I have to admire him for doing that. Even after death he was hoping to somehow help people.

Pretty cool in my book.

Happy 4th of July everybody

 

[Pharos]

A pastor nearby one medical school I know passed away and donated his body to the school. It was on the orbituary. The guy was one of those "save the world and feed the poor" fanatics. I have to admire him for doing that. Even after death he was hoping to somehow help people.

Pretty cool in my book.

Happy 4th of July everybody

Nice 👍

 

[cfdavid]

I'll tell you in 1 month, when I actually see my cadaver and how we'll subsequently "interact" with it.

 

[lilnoelle]

I couldn't do it. It doesn't make sense not to, I mean, I'll just decay in the earth anyway, but just knowing what people would do to me after I die. I'd have much less difficulty donating to research than to a med school... although I'm not even sure people do that anymore. I see that med students learn a lot from anatomy and dissection, but I don't know that its phenominal, I mean, some people use anatomy atlases to study and how much of the information learned in anatomy is truly remembered after med school?
This question also can be added to... would you let a resident work on your infant child? Gawande in his book "Complications" brought this up. He was a surgical resident and his infant child had some unusual neural defect. A fellow came up and asked to take the case, he couldn't do it. It was his child and he wanted someone experienced to take care of him.... I'm guessing I'd probably feel the same way. I'd let a resident work on me, but I'm not sure that I could if it was my child and there was something unusual that was wrong with her.

 

[oneaat]

I couldn't do it. It doesn't make sense not to, I mean, I'll just decay in the earth anyway, but just knowing what people would do to me after I die. I'd have much less difficulty donating to research than to a med school... although I'm not even sure people do that anymore. I see that med students learn a lot from anatomy and dissection, but I don't know that its phenominal, I mean, some people use anatomy atlases to study and how much of the information learned in anatomy is truly remembered after med school?
This question also can be added to... would you let a resident work on your infant child? Gawande in his book "Complications" brought this up. He was a surgical resident and his infant child had some unusual neural defect. A fellow came up and asked to take the case, he couldn't do it. It was his child and he wanted someone experienced to take care of him.... I'm guessing I'd probably feel the same way. I'd let a resident work on me, but I'm not sure that I could if it was my child and there was something unusual that was wrong with her.

but these situations are totally different - obviously you want the best doctor you can find working on your child. that's a given. but if you've donated your body then there's really nothing anyone can do to screw you up even worse, right? you're dead - it doesn't get much worse. if you're just going to decay in the earth, why not let someone learn from your body before you do?

i personally would donate my body whole to science, a med school, UNOS, whatever. i'll be dead, i won't care. not like you need the body wherever you go after death. i'm going to have to agree with callogican on this one.