Get Body Donation Application Form

Body donation procedure A health care representative from the hospital, medical facility or hospice organization where the death occurs should contact Mayo Clinic's donor program coordinator. The coordinator will review acceptance protocol to determine if the donation can be accepted.

Body donation, anatomical donation, or body bequest is the donation of a whole body after death for research and education. Donated bodies are mostly used for medical education and research. They are used for gross anatomy, surgical anatomy and for furthering medical education.

Body donors must be free of infectious diseases such as HIV, AIDs, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. Donor's body weight must be less than 250 lbs. If there has been a violent death, suicide or vital organs have been removed for transplant purposes, the body will be not be accepted.

a gift of one or more specific parts neither names a person to receive them or a purpose for their use, in which case the receiving organization must use them first for transplant or therapy, or if they are not suitable for these purposes, for research or education; and.

Every year, an estimated 20,000 people donate their bodies to science for the purpose of medical research and education. But unlike organ donation, these body parts can be bought and sold for profit — a market with very few federal regulations.

Reason #1: Donating a body to science saves lives. More importantly, it allows doctors, who throughout their practice, need to stay current with the advancements that result from innovative medical breakthroughs. Whole body donations are also used by practicing surgeons for surgical training and technique development.

After your body has been donated, any unused tissue and remains will be cremated and returned to your family. This usually happens within four to six weeks after donation. Your family will also receive detailed information about how your body was used and specific ways it helped advance medical science.

Contact the program nearest you and request a registration packet. Complete the packet, return it to the program and a donor card will be mailed to you. Are there any circumstances where a donation may be refused?