It seems that more people would donate their body parts to help a living person than thinking long term and becoming some kind of research object / cadaver. Is that correct?

My wife and I have a solicitors meeting to update wills next month and I’ve been thinking about it all. I don’t care what happens to me when I’ve kicked the bucket and love the idea of helping someone / something. She’s not keen on my becoming a cadaver but understands being a donor (and is one).

Should I keep the peace and agree as donating organs etc is still a great thing to do? If people really are crying out for bodies to practice on, cut-up or whatever they do then is it worth pressing the point?

It seems a shame that you can’t donate the worthwhile bits and then send the leftovers off to a university.

What are your plans and why?

This..

Then this..

I’m a registered organ donor , after they’ve harvested any useful bits n pieces I want burning and scattering on our local hill .

recyclables donated, the rest on the compost heap.

We’ve agreed that I will be stuffed and positioned in the corner of the bedroom, holding a Bible in one hand and pointing with the other to remind MrsH to be chasted and pure after my death.

Pre smoking ban, the plan was to be cremated then the remains poured into ashtrays at all my favourite pubs.

I’d now like to be varnished and used as a trail feature at Hurstwood.

I would make the case that it is as much your loved ones’ decision as yours. Based on the fact that you won’t know much about it, if they need to feel that they have laid you to rest “properly” instead of leaving your earthly remains on a medical school slab being hacked about, they should have that chance.

Donation is a different matter entirely and I can’t think of a rational reason not to. It was one of the first questions I asked after being told my Dad couldn’t be resuscitated and the rest of my family backed me up without hesitation.

Death, it’s a strange thing. Difficult to know how you or anyone else will feel until you actually get there.

No reason why you couldn’t choose both. The circumstances that would make you useful for (most) organ donation are fairly specific IME, limited mostly to a massive head to injury either traumatic or organic in nature that kills you off but leaves your body ticking over. This buys the harvesting teams sufficient time to ramp up, gain the various consents and organise the harvest. Outside these specific circumstances, I see no reason that your body would not still be interesting to a load of medical students.

My uncle went down the donation route. Looks like my dad wants to as well.

Edit

Cancer got my uncle think he saw it as still being useful, don’t think they would take his recyclables.

V8 – almost but not completely true. My old man was asystolic for over an hour and a half before being declared dead. Major organ donation was ruled out by this time, but they were still able to take corneas, femurs and skin. It was a small help to us to know we’d been able to help someone.

Absolutely, I suspected that about corneas, but didn’t even know there was such a thing as femur or skin donation, fascinating! And well done for making the difficult decision at the right time. Chapeau.

I’m donating. Don’t fancy being a cadaver though – I’m a bit squeamish – yes I know I won’t care as I will be dead.

Donations then science.
They can try and work out why they couldn’t kill me the first three times

Roll me up and smoke me when i die…..Willie nelson.

Science

Woodchipper or Art. Can’t decide

Perhaps both ‘You (plus 1) are cordially invited to the Mulching of Maccruiskeen’

From my brief reading, it can’t be both. I looked at the Unis of Exeter and Southampton (personal ties) and they only needed or accepted ‘full’ bodies.

It would make sense for organs and other useful bits to go to a living donor but it seems to be one or the other. If there was a crying need for bodies for research / practice then it makes more sense to help out there.

It is a strange one as, yes, I couldn’t GAF what happens to me but should I die before my wife, I wouldn’t want my wishes to upset her. For whatever her reasons are, she’s pretty against me being dissected by med students but no problems with donoring.

I do like your idea though Hora!

Sorry, you misunderstand me; I don’t mean both would happen, I mean you could specify; ‘if the circumstances don’t allow (a), then (b) should occur.

Maybe your wife has met some med students? I have, and I’m not sure if want some of them chopping me up for shits and giggles edumacation either…

I’d now like to be varnished and used as a trail feature at Hurstwood.

Somewhere to park the bike?

Immediately after your death will be a very difficult time for your loved ones and doubly so for those that have to take care of arrangements. If your wife has a hard time thinking of you as a cadaver at this stage then it’s possibly going to cause her additional emotional distress at a time when she’ll already have more than enough to deal with.

Basically it’s a decision for both of you but I’d say that in this instance your wife’s view needs to count possibly more than that of your own.

Soylent green

I’m up for donation of anything they can usefully salvage (registered and discussed with missus).

Oddly I’m less keen on the science donation – not really sure why?

Helping to train a new generation of doctors or assisting with medical research seems just as worthy and helpful as giving organs to individuals in need, if a little less immediate.

I’ve done macabre tours of the big “pickling jars” at anatomy schools. And I also still vividly remember the smell of formaldehyde and death on my girlfriend (now wife) whenever she’d been dissecting cadavers at medical school.
Maybe that subconsciously puts me off.

Surely the will is not the place for this as by the time it’s read you’re a wee bit gamey.

PS: I’ve told MrsStirlingCrispin just to accept the highest bid (and friends are to look after the bikes).

slowoldman – Member

Somewhere to park the bike?

What, with these feet?

Given the cost of even a basic funeral/cremation, I’m seriously thinking of donating my body to science.

Donor until I’m, say, 70, then change my will when my bits are too old to be worth passing on. Best of both worlds.

Fertiliser me coz I need to feed earth.

Fertiliser me coz I need to feed earth.

Yeah cremation isn’t very environmentally friendly so maybe becoming plant food is a good way to go.
No big wooden box though – cardboard, wool, or wicker seem like better choices.

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/ten-eco-friendly-funeral-ideas

” I’d say that in this instance your wife’s view needs to count possibly more than that of your own.”

A good point muppet. That’s why I wonder if it’s worth seeing if she can (if even necessary) be persuaded.

I intend to come back and walk amongst the living after my demise. I reckon if bits were removed it would add to the overall effect much more. If I could open a big flap of skin to reveal an empty cavity, that would be ace. It will probably be the only time women become emotionally unstable in front of me 😀

I get to see, every working day, what happens when one life is cut short but then many more are saved or improved.

I run the UK’s transplantation support services (including the Organ Donor Register and the 24/7 team that match donors and recipients), so I am clearly biased by the experience – but I defy anyone not to be moved by what I see.

Up to 1,000 people a year die in the UK while waiting for a solid organ transplant. However, around 500,000 people die in the UK every year. On hearing that, I am often asked why there are transplant waiting lists.

The answer is that it is thought that – of the 500,000 – only around 5,000 people a year might die with the right combination of circumstances and characteristics to donate organs (although more for tissues).

Although we desperately want it to be more and are working very hard with hospitals and families, there are only about 1,350 solid organ donors per annum at present. We lose about 40% of potential donors due to families not consenting to organ donation.

The single biggest thing you can do to help is join the Organ Donor Register. We gain family consent from around 90% of those on the ODR; but only 55% from those who are not.

If we cannot match healthy donors’ organs recipients, we do also have a process for allocating organs for research. This is a small number within an already small number of donors, but I do hope it helps with the OP’s original question.

Nitrogen freezing like that Tom Cruise movie.

Tech support having a nightmare!

If we cannot match healthy donors’ organs recipients, we do also have a process for allocating organs for research.

How does that process work Ben_H?

makecoldplayhistory – Member

How does that process work Ben_H?

There are 6 solid organ advisory groups, who are made up of leading organ donation and transplantation clinicians. They determine the policies by which we match donors to recipients. This covers 98%+ of our activity.

A seventh group – similarly, made up of experts in the field – advises on NHS policies for access by clinicians and scientists to organs and tissues for research. This covers less than 2% of our activity.

Once consent is gained, offering organs is usually a “heat of the moment” process; where everybody involved needs to be ready really quickly.

After all attempts to match a healthy donor’s organs is exhausted, retrieval for research would be considered. This would be, for example, where there weren’t many suitable blood group matches or the potential recipient(s) weren’t ready for transplant.

The above is for consenting organ donors and, as said above, the route to research this way is unusual (>2%).

For medical science in general, where organ donation is not happening (and which I think is much more common), I’m afraid I don’t know!

Who says thats the end of things…

I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t consent if the deceased has clearly stated their intent and made them aware beforehand.

I’m up for the a) donation or b) science! (provided a) is unviable) followed by burning whats left and packing it into fireworks. If I need a coffin then it’s going to be the cheapest cardboard box possible, I see no point in spending good money just to burn it.

Oh, does science cover body farms? I know we don’t have one but like the thought that I might be someones pet project. Could even get a time lapse video to run as a gif on my obelisk.

EDIT – Hmm, £2285 to fly a corpse to the US, probably cheaper thana funeral. Body farm it is!

Soylent green

Only if you die on a Tuesday…

Science or doner?

I’m hoping my hefty remains will help feed drunk students up and down Withington Road.

Donor registered here, although they may not want the liver.
I’m a morbid bastard so have had a will since the age of 25 too.

A pal was refiiting a crem a while ago and reckoned there wasn’t any guarentee the ashes would be whoever you’ve just cremated anyway – don’t know if thats true or not but hopefully everything useful will be out and given away before that anyway.

I’m hoping my hefty remains will help feed drunk students up and down Withington Road.

Or you just be hung up in the garden for the bluetits to peck at.