Each of us knows that at some point you are going to die. Many people think that when they die there are only two options: cremation or burial. However, there is a third option and that is to make the body available to medical science. People want to contribute to science in the hope that others can learn something from it. What is needed to make the body available and how does this work?
- Making the body available to medical science
- Medical science
- Students have to do practice
- What should you do if you want to make your body available to science?
- Organ donation
- Codicil
- Wishes for the funeral
- Memorial service
- After death
Making the body available to medical science
It often happens that people have known for some time that they are terminally ill and that they are going to die. Treatment is often long-term and then one gains more insight into the possibilities but also into the impossibilities in medical science. Then one may come up with the idea of helping science by donating the body after death for scientific research. During the period of illness, many people are advised to think carefully about how they want to mark the end of life.
Medical science
The question that everyone will sometimes ask themselves is whether to choose burial or cremation. But what many don’t think about is that there is a third option. This is to make the body available to medical science. This question can also be discussed with the doctor. But not only sick people but also healthy people sometimes want to think about the choice they want to make in the event of death and make this known. The question then arises: What happens when you hand the body over to medical science? The body will then end up in the hands of an anatomical institute at a university and will be used for medical scientific education and research.
Students have to do practice
In this way, medical students can learn about the anatomy of the human body and also about new surgical techniques. About five hundred bodies are needed for science each year. Sometimes the organs are used for separate preparations. Other bodies are preserved whole or opened in such a way that students can see how the organs are located in a body. The dissected body is cremated as a last resort. Because the body is preserved, it may only be after years that the body is cremated. If you want to make your body available, you will have to discuss a number of matters in advance with your loved ones and make agreements to arrange this.
What should you do if you want to make your body available to science?
First of all, you must make a choice whether you want to make the body available for transplants and/or for scientific research. If you are also registered as a donor, organ and/or tissue donation will always be given priority. Sometimes both are possible, but that is not always the case. When organs are removed, wounds can occur that sometimes make it impossible to preserve the body. In general, there is no upper limit on age, but this may differ per institution. It may also happen that a body is refused because it is particularly overweight, drowning or serious mutilation. This does not happen often.
Organ donation
Donation is often advocated because it can be life-saving for someone else. The University of Groningen indicates that it can usually make an exception. You can contact the medical faculty of the university in Groningen about this. However, it is up to the person to make the choice. No one can do this for you. However, you can consult with your doctor about what might be the best choice for you. It is then of the utmost importance that you discuss the choice you want to make with your partner and loved ones. After all, the anatomical institute has full control over the body and usually wants to preserve the body within 24 hours. It is therefore clear that in this case there is hardly any time to say goodbye after death. This can have a huge impact on family members if it is not clearly discussed in advance. You can then register at the medical faculty at one of the eight anatomical institutes in the Netherlands, namely:
- Amsterdam, UMC and AMC
- Utrecht
- To lead
- Groningen
- Nijmegen
- Maastricht
- Rotterdam
Codicil
Sometimes it is possible that the treating doctor in the hospital or your own GP can be helpful in submitting the request. A handwritten statement with date and signature must be submitted. This codicil or advance directive form goes to the institute where you registered. The GP and the donor themselves receive a copy of this codicil. Usually it is older people who register. Younger, healthy people are advised to wait because so many changes can still occur.
Wishes for the funeral
Even if you have made the body available to science, it is still wise to record your wishes for a funeral. The anatomical institute can always decide that there are factors against accepting the body. Serious illness can be a reason for the body to be rejected. Sometimes there are already enough bodies available. It is also possible that the body is found unfit after a fatal accident if there are serious mutilations. Even if there has been an autopsy, for example during an internal investigation into the cause of death, the body is usually unfit. It is therefore wise to discuss all wishes regarding a funeral, memorial service or cremation with your partner and loved ones and to record these in a will.
Memorial service
It is also important not to cancel the funeral insurance, otherwise very high costs may arise for the surviving relatives if the institute refuses. Even if the body is made available to science, it is possible to send condolence letters and hold a memorial service. In that case, there is no coffin with the remains, but a beautiful flower arrangement is often placed with a photo of the deceased. Especially if someone has been ill for a long time, the partner and family members have already gone through a tough road and experienced a period of joint grieving. It is of the utmost importance that a proper closing is organized entirely in accordance with the wishes of the deceased. You will have to discuss together which symbols you want to choose for this.
After death
If the body is accepted by the anatomical institute after death, the funeral director will arrange further proceedings. The municipality must be informed and the Mayor must be asked for permission to dissect the body. The anatomical institute arranges transport. The surviving relatives will no longer be informed of the institute’s further actions.