# Donating Your Body To Science: Does Science Have Too Many Bodies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346 "2020-10-06T15:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/21 "2020-10-07T14:32:10Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > How do you think doctors and dentists learn to do new surgical procedures, anyway? Mannequins are OK, but there’s no substitute for The Real Thing. Mary Roach is a treasure. According to the book, corpses are also used to calibrate crash test dummies. It’s necessary to do that as the population becomes more obese. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/22 "2020-10-07T18:47:07Z")
Interesting thread. I, too, enjoyed Mary Roach’s _Stiff_. Well worth a read. The last chapter is about the future of cadaver disposal, including a Scandinavian freeze-drying technique which sounds like it has potential. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/23 "2020-10-07T19:06:00Z")
My grandma’s neighbor used to tell a story about her son, the dentist. "When he was in dental school, they needed to practice on cadaver heads. The first time he went in to work on his head, he opened up the bag, and it was his best friend, who had recently died in a motorcycle accident. He closed up the bag and left. He called me, sobbing. ‘I can’t do it, Mom. It’s Jake!’ I said, ‘Son, being a dentist is your life’s goal. You go back in there and do what you have to.’ And he bucked up and did it. Now he’s a very respected dentist." I can not speak to the veracity of the story. She was a very weird woman, but a good friend to my very normal grandma. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/24 "2020-10-08T03:50:34Z")
A while back, there was a story about a man who was quite upset when he found out that yes, his mother did donate her body to science, but he never expected that “science” meant that her body would be blown up in an military IED test. He just wanted to warn other people that if they generically say “donate to science”, this could potentially happen, and some people might object to that, for themselves or a loved one. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/25 "2020-10-08T03:52:54Z")
That does sound apocryphal. The long-defunct magazine “OMNI” once put out a call: “Those of you who had to do cadaver dissection - did you ever get the body of someone you knew?” They did get one response; IIRC it was a female medical student who took the cover off, and it was a distant relative who had died a couple years earlier, and finally her turn came. She was reassigned another cadaver, and the body was sent to another school. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/26 "2020-10-08T06:15:25Z")
> **[These 6 'Body Farms' Help Forensic Anthropologists Learn To Solve Crimes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/06/10/these-six-body-farms-help-forensic-anthropologists-learn-to-solve-crimes/)** > > Go behind the scenes at six "body farms" across the US, where researchers are studying the process of human decomposition using corpses and are working with law enforcement to solve murder cases. fac.utk.edu > **[Body farm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_farm)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > A body farm is a research facility where decomposition of humans and other animals can be studied in a variety of settings. The initial facility was conceived by anthropologist William M. Bass in 1987 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Bass was interested in studying the decomposition of a human corpse from the time of death to the time of decay. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the decomposition process, pe... > **[FBI Marks 20 Years of Training at the ‘Body Farm’ | Federal Bureau of...](https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/body-farm-20th-anniversary-032019)** > > For two decades, members of the FBI's Evidence Response Teams have trained on properly excavating burial sites at the Anthropology Research Facility in Knoxville, Tennessee. > **[Down on the Body Farm: Unlocking the Forensic Secrets of Decaying Corpses](https://undark.org/2019/11/11/how-microbes-could-aid-forensic-detectives/)** > > Researchers at outdoor "body farms" look to the microbes of human decay to help identify corpses and pinpoint time of death. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/27 "2020-10-08T11:19:57Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > She was reassigned another cadaver, and the body was sent to another school. That is exactly what I would expect to happen in this scenario, neighbor lady’s story notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/28 "2020-10-08T12:58:06Z")
Yep - that’s my plan! I even have my outfit picked out! See you down on the farm, **needscoffee**! ---
**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:** [October 8, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/29 "2020-10-08T13:43:05Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That does sound apocryphal. > > The long-defunct magazine “OMNI” once put out a call: “Those of you who had to do cadaver dissection - did you ever get the body of someone you knew?” They did get one response; IIRC it was a female medical student who took the cover off, and it was a distant relative who had died a couple years earlier, and finally her turn came. She was reassigned another cadaver, and the body was sent to another school. I thought this sounded like a Snopes-style legend, which turns out to be the case - but it’s not _always_ a legend. > **[Relative's Cadaver Dissected](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/relativity/)** > > Medical school student discovers cadaver assigned to her for dissection is body of her relative More chilling - when your cadaver isn’t actually dead, climbs up off the table and walks away.\* > **[Nationwide Recall of Cadavers Issued After One Found Alive in Anatomy Lab |...](https://gomerblog.com/2019/11/nationwide-recall-of-cadavers/)** > > ENCINO, CA—A nationwide recall of human cadavers was issued today after a petrified group of anatomy students at a California medical school discovered a \*yeah, I know it’s a gag. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/30 "2020-10-08T16:12:21Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*yeah, I know it’s a gag. I wish you hadn’t spoiled it. I really would like to know how far I would have made it into that article before I caught on. I’m intrigued to learn this is an ancient legend. It makes me deeply curious about the origin of the story I was told as a child. Was Grandma’s neighbor just spinning a tall tale? I’m fairly certain she really did have a dentist son. Maybe he had pranked her years before, and she really believed the story herself? I’m so much more curious now. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/31 "2020-10-08T16:13:26Z")
The “nationwide recall of human cadavers” didn’t help? ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/32 "2020-10-08T16:16:59Z")
I think if an anatomy cadaver really stood up off the table and walked out of the lab it would definitely lead to a full-stop on dissections until the procedures could be reviewed. Of course, if such a thing had really happened I undoubtedly would have heard about it before now. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/33 "2020-10-08T16:19:58Z")
In reality, there have been cases where someone is found to still be alive after being sent to the morgue. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/34 "2020-10-08T16:22:11Z")
Yes, but I expect there are a few steps between the morgue and the anatomy lab. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/35 "2020-10-08T16:39:53Z")
I once read an account of the 1864 Battle of New Hope Church, Ga. in which a soldier who was about to be buried, after having been shot and thought killed, regained consciousness, spoke up and said he’d rather go to the field hospital instead. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/36 "2020-10-08T16:44:16Z")
That’s pretty funny. There’s also the [story](https://vault.si.com/vault/1974/01/28/he-woke-up-in-the-morgue) of the jockey who “died” in an accident at a racetrack, was pronounced dead and taken to a hospital morgue. There he woke up, found the door, ran out and hailed a cab to take him back to the racetrack. ([Link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Neves) to Wikipedia article on Ralph Neves.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/37 "2020-10-09T02:26:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If nothing else, real cadavers are useful for gross anatomy. As in, the common use of the word “gross”. Most humans have an instinctual aversion to sticking their hands in human bodies and poking around inside of them. If someone’s to become a surgeon, you need to break them of that instinctual aversion somehow. Yeah, I can’t think of a better way to condition medical students to suppress their disgust instincts. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/38 "2020-10-09T09:05:16Z")
If garbage collectors still picked up the cans by hand, that’d be a way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/39 "2020-10-09T13:42:06Z")
The founder of the big body farm in Tenn is retired but when he dies they are getting his body. Stiff is very good book as are all Mary Roach books. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346/40 "2020-10-09T15:22:33Z")
**UPDATE:** I contacted the University of Missouri Medical school to talk things over. I was sent to the website of their “Gift of Body” program. Seems I’m not qualified, as they won’t take bodies from which major organs have been harvested, and for me, organ donation is a higher priority than scientific study. Also the weight limit is 200 pounds. If I weight less than 200 pounds when I die, then it means I died of starvation. > **[Gift of Body - MU School of Medicine](https://medicine.missouri.edu/departments/pathology-and-anatomical-sciences/gift-of-body)** > > Learn more about donating your body or the body of a loved one to to medical education at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donating-your-body-to-science-does-science-have-too-many-bodies/922346.md?page=3)