Do you want your body to be of use after your death?
Many people feel that their body should have a use after death. A very popular scheme in the UK is the Donor Card scheme. which allows donors, in the event of their death, to help someone else to live. With over 5,000 people in the UK in need of a transplant, this allows the matching of organs from people who no longer need them to people who will die if they don't get a transplant soon. If you do not have a card, but wish to be registered, then please visit the NHS Organ Donor Register website.
Another way of finding a use for your body, or the body of a loved one, is to bequeath the whole body to medical science. Bequeathing a body to medical science will benefit society for generations to come and are generally used in one of 2 ways
- Anatomical examination
- Research
Strictly speaking, one cannot legally own one's own dead body and, therefore, cannot legally bequeath or donate it. However, if a deceased person has expressed a wish during life to give his or her body for teaching and research, or to donate organs, relatives seldom fail to carry out this wish.
It is important that if you wish to bequeath your body for teaching and research and/or donate your organs for transplantation, you should discuss your wishes with your relatives or executor(s) of your will.
Some of the information below may be graphic in nature, and is provided solely to give you the details that you need to be able to make a decision with the full facts.
The Anatomy Act 1984 enables people to bequeath their bodies for anatomical examination, which means teaching, studying, or researching into form, shape or structure of the human body.
This allows the teaching of anatomy to medical & dental students, related professionals, and students on authorised courses of anatomy.
The Anatomy Act allows the examination to last up to 3 years. When it is complete, arrangements are made for the remains to be cremated.
Occasionally a body may have clinically important anatomical variations and take a great deal of time & skill to reveal. In such circumstances, if permission is granted by you (on the forms provided), then these parts may be kept for a longer time.
It is possible to bequeath a body for research, governed under the Human Tissue Act 2004 and regulated by the Human Tissue Authority.
The body will be used in research relevant to the science or practice of medicine, including the development of surgical skills. Visit Bristol University's Anatomy department for information about the research that they are conducting.
Basically you will need to contact the nearest university, and speak to the anatomy department. For residents of Bath & North East Somerset Council, the nearest anatomy department is
Bristol University. You will need to
- Decide how the body is to be used (or leave it up to the anatomy department)
- Fill out a bequest form (available from the university)
- Make the executor(s) of the will aware of your wishes
- We also advise making your family & GP aware of your wishes
- Keep the form in a place easy to find after your death
- Ask someone to contact the Bequest Office as soon as possible after your death
If the person who's body is being donated has not filled out the form, but has put in writing, orally expressed a desire in front of 2 witnesses during their last illness, or if the executor is certain of the deceased's will, then that will be satisfactory.
After death
- Notify the university anatomy department as soon as possible
- The university will pick up the body as soon as they can. They will pay all transport costs for any body within a 25 mile radius (covers most of Bath & North East Somerset, though areas around Hinton Charterhouse, Freshford & Limpley Stoke may not be within this radius). All people outside this radius will have to arrange transport themselves.
The university will check the body, and consult with the deceased's GP. They will need to perform these examinations to know if the body will be useful. The university will pay for the cremation of the body after their work is finished. If you wish to know the date of the cremation, or you want the ashes, you will need to let the university know when they accept the body.
A bequest may be declined under the following circumstances
- If the body has had a post-mortem examination, or the deceased died suddenly or following accidents, since these usually come under a Coroner's jurisdiction.
- If, at the time of death, organs are removed for transplantation, then we will not be able to accept the body for teaching and research, with the exception of bodies from which the eyes only have been removed.
- If, at the time of death, there is insufficient storage space, a shortage of staff, or for any other legitimate reason.
If you have any questions or want to discuss any of this information, then please feel free to contact the Bristol University Anatomy Department.
Bequest Office
Department of Anatomy
University of Bristol
Southwell Street
Bristol, BS2 8EJ tel (0117) 928 7415
web
www.bris.ac.uk/depts/anatomy/
You may get an answering machine, but if you leave your name & telephone number, they will call you back as soon as they are able.