For medical students, there is no better teacher than your body – including when you’re no longer in it.
Donated bodies are indispensable for teaching anatomical concepts to aspiring care givers. Participants in DMU’s body donor program make this ultimate gift.
“You can read and be book-smart, but there’s no better teacher than the human body,” says Clayton “CJ” Carlson, DMU’s anatomical coordinator.
Carlson says all religions support the medical donation of one’s body.
DMU holds an annual memorial service to honor deceased participants; their families are invited and asked to provide a photo of their loved one to be shown, not identified by name, during the service. This year’s event will occur May 21.
To leave this important legacy:
- Talk with your loved ones about your desire to donate your body. If your family refuses to allow the donation after you’ve passed, DMU will not contest their decision.
- Read about the program and complete the body donation form, or contact Carlson at 515-271-1481.
- Donated bodies must be donated to DMU by a funeral home indicated on the body donation form or selected by the deceased’s family members.
- A donation may be declined if tissues have been destroyed, if the body has been autopsied or if the cause of death was from communicable/infectious agents. A body also may be declined if the donor’s body weight is greater than the average for his/her height, or if the donor was HIV positive.
- After anatomical studies are completed, the remains are cremated and returned to the family or interred by the University. The body also can be returned to a funeral home for burial.
Photo © istockphoto/Max Delson Martins Santos
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