Put your body to work
SCHOOL OF ANATOMY: OPEN TO DONATIONS WITHIN 300KM OF WITS
Medical students have to work on human cadavers to gain full understanding.
As the old aphorism has it, only two things are certain in life: death, and taxes. But while death may be inevitable, it does throw up a number of uncertainties – like what should be done with your body. A number of university anatomy schools globally run body donation programmes, and this is becoming more common in Africa.
The University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Anatomical Sciences in Johannesburg is celebrating its centennial year. PhD student Kimberleigh Tommy talks to Dr Brendon Billings to find out why people should consider leaving their body to science and the huge shifts in how body donation works. The study of anatomy has been the foundation for training medical and allied health sciences students for hundreds of years. They need to understand the structure of the human body.
Dissection also plays an important role in introducing students to death.
Donated bodies are strictly used for teaching and research. They first undergo a process called perfusion to remove blood and replace it with a fixative to preserve the remains and make them safe for dissection. A student or researcher is never told your name. In research, if more personal details are needed – like demographics or occupation – then the researcher signs a non-disclosure agreement which prohibits the use of any personal details in publications. The use of human cadavers for training students falls under the National Health Act and follows the ethical guidelines of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomy. At Wits, you can register to donate your body during your life or your family may donate it as a next of kin donor. Adding a codicil to a will is encouraged, but it’s not required if you complete the school’s body donor registration form, which acts as a will indicating your wishes. Our school cannot pay the donor or family for the donation. Yes. In certain instances, families have requested the embalmed remains for a memorial ceremony. The donor may request for their remains to be returned to the family after dissection has been completed. Or donors can donate their bodies indefinitely. Yes, if your organs are not suitable for donation then we accept the body. We need a full body. Our school has a list of communicable diseases that excludes a body donation. You do not have to disclose your HIV status for our school. Yes. Car accidents, homicides and suicides or any case that requires an autopsy will be addressed by the state mortuary. In such instances the donated body cannot be accepted by the school. We do, as the school. Most donations are within 300km of Wits, but the family can transport the body to an area within that distance.
Brendon Kurt Billings: lecturer/ curator, Wits University
Kimberleigh Ashley Tommy: PhD candidate Wits University – Republished from TheConversation.com
A student or researcher is never told your name