# Can have have my corpse skeletonized, legally? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461 "2010-01-11T01:54:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/1 "2010-01-11T01:54:05Z")
Okay, here’s the setup: I live in the United States, and after my death (hypothetically, anyway) I want to have my corpse defleshed, articulated, and then given to my next of kin to be kept in a tasteful glass case. Now, my question is: can I have this done _legally?_ I know it’s legal for me to own a human skeleton—there’s a [nice little store](http://www.boneroom.com/) not two hours drive from my house where I can walk in off the street, buy a skeleton or two, and take them home in my back seat—but I don’t know the legal situation regarding, er, producing new ones. Can anyone enlighten me? (Luckily, I don’t need an answer fast) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/2 "2010-01-11T02:09:27Z")
Try talking to the folks at [Skulls Unlimited](http://www.skullsunlimited.com/record_unique_category_level1.php?id=5), an osteological specimen supplier that does a limited trade in real human skulls and skeletons as well as animal/bird skeletons and replicas. They advertise that their (few) real human skeletons are obtained from legal and ethical sources, so they might be able to advise you about how to become a legally and ethically sourced skeleton. That number is: 1-800-659-SKULL. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/3 "2010-01-11T02:15:42Z")
How quickly do you need this answer? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/4 "2010-01-11T14:03:56Z")
I’m pretty sure you could find some skeletonizers by advertising on craigslist. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/5 "2010-01-11T15:46:44Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I know it’s legal for me to own a human skeleton—there’s a [nice little store](http://www.boneroom.com/) not two hours drive from my house where I can walk in off the street, buy a skeleton or two, and take them home in my back seat—but I don’t know the legal situation regarding, er, producing new ones. Are you sure those are actual human skeletons? Most skeletons used in medical schools, etc. are actually plastic casts made from a real skeleton. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/6 "2010-01-11T16:17:42Z")
> [@](#): > > **Geoffrey:** As a matter of fact, it was Oliver himself who requested that his flesh be removed and that his skull be used in all future productions of _Hamlet_. So, you see, it’s not weird and in fact it is notarized. > **Reg:** We’ve never removed a head. > **Sal:** We’ve sewn them back on. > **Geoffrey:** Well, I imagine it’s the same thing but in reverse. > **Reg:** And there are legal implications. > **Geoffrey:** You see, I would have thought that the ethical implications of not respecting a man’s last wish would outweigh the legal implications. Furthermore, I believe that the state has no place in the nation’s bedrooms and by extension, their graves. > **Reg:** We can remove the head, but we can’t do the rendering, we’re not equipped. > **Geoffrey:** I see. And where would you suppose a fellow would go for such a service? > **Reg:** A taxidermist. > **Sal:** I would begin with the less reputable firms. (Of course, Canadian law might vary from American law.) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/7 "2010-01-11T16:27:22Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Are you sure those are actual human skeletons? > Most skeletons used in medical schools, etc. are actually plastic casts made from a real skeleton. As far as I know, yes. Mostly from India and China, specifically, according to the website. And they certainly _looked_ real in person, when I was at the store. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/8 "2010-01-11T18:25:10Z")
Influential Chicago theater actor Del Close tried to donate his skull to the Goodman Theater for use in productions of Hamlet, but it was eventually revealed that [they were unable to find anyone to handle the job](http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/09/061009ta_talk_friend) before the morgue insisted on evicting the body. Looks like this is something you need to plan for well in advance. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/9 "2010-01-11T21:49:55Z")
Nobody listened to poor old Percy Granger’s requests to be skeletonized and put on display at his museum either, although casual googling seems unclear on whether that was on account of Australian law or his widow. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/10 "2010-01-11T21:53:18Z")
And I thought I was cutting-edge just because I want to be composted. Still, no reason you couldn’t do both: set the skeleton aside, and compost the rest… ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/11 "2010-01-11T22:45:38Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > And I thought I was cutting-edge just because I want to be composted. > > Still, no reason you couldn’t do both: set the skeleton aside, and compost the rest… Composting is easy, just have yourself cremated and have the ashes dumped on your compost heap. If I recall correctly, Lee Hayes of The Weavers had this done. ---
**Author:** ![SuperAbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@SuperAbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperAbe)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/12 "2010-01-11T23:02:33Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Are you sure those are actual human skeletons? > Most skeletons used in medical schools, etc. are actually plastic casts made from a real skeleton. Iny my experience (recent U.S. medical student), the vast majority of skeletons/skulls/etc. are from actual humans: the models in our gross anatomy labs were, as were the skulls given to each pair of students for the entire semester of neuroscience. Plastic cast suffer from two major issues: 1) small details are often lost in the casting; 2) lack of variation (and the range of variation is frankly rather frightening). That said, there is a place for synthetic models, especially in cases where a “real” version is impractical (ophthalmic or pelvic models) or functionally impossible (major joints). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/13 "2010-01-11T23:15:27Z")
My college had a real human skeleton in the figure drawing room. We called him “Henry” after the school’s founder, even though it wasn’t the actual Henry’s bones. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/14 "2010-01-12T14:09:24Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Are you sure those are actual human skeletons? > Most skeletons used in medical schools, etc. are actually plastic casts made from a real skeleton. Before 1987 it was cheap and easy to get human bones and skeletons. Most of them came from India, who stopped exporting that year. My brother and I, both teenagers at the time, bought a real human skull (and it’s definitely not a cast) in 1984 from a mail order catalog for $80 or so - it was a gift for our older brother’s med school graduation. ---
**Author:** ![Mervyn\_Pumpkinhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@Mervyn\_Pumpkinhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mervyn_Pumpkinhead)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/15 "2010-01-13T00:10:14Z")
I would similarly like to receive an ‘air burial’, in which I would like my flesh fed to animals and my bones preserved… my skull at least. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky\_burial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excarnation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excarnation) ---
**Author:** ![EdwardLost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/16 "2010-01-13T02:13:55Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’m pretty sure you could find some skeletonizers by advertising on craigslist. Save the money and do it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/17 "2010-01-13T09:12:21Z")
> [@EdwardLost](#): > > Save the money and do it yourself. Exactly! Just order some [dermestid beetles](http://www.skulltaxidermy.com/kits.html) and get that colony going! Once you have a bathtub’s worth, just die and put your carcass into the tub. You’ll be skeletonized in weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/18 "2010-01-13T12:39:16Z")
You MUST read [Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers](http://www.amazon.com/Stiff-Curious-Lives-Human-Cadavers/dp/0393324826/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263386275&sr=8-2). ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/19 "2010-01-13T17:14:20Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > … to be kept in a tasteful glass case… Although it might just be that we have different definitions of tasteful, I suggest you start looking for this tasteful glass case promptly. It might prove a lot harder than skeletonizing yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461/20 "2010-01-13T17:47:05Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Although it might just be that we have different definitions of tasteful, I suggest you start looking for this tasteful glass case promptly. It might prove a lot harder than skeletonizing yourself. No reason you couldn’t have it custom-built. Just say it’s for your prize specimen of Elizabethan armour, and give dimensions that just happen to be similar to your own. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-have-have-my-corpse-skeletonized-legally/524461.md?page=2)