# Would you want to keep a bone surgically removed from your body? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783 "2023-03-28T12:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [March 28, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/1 "2023-03-28T12:52:46Z")
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/1))_ Background - when I had my wisdom teeth removed 30+ years ago, the oral surgeon asked me if I wanted to keep the teeth. I said sure, and after the surgery they gave me a small manila envelope with 4 bloody teeth wrapped in gauze. I cleaned them up and still have them today. That option no longer exists - when my kids had their wisdom teeth out, I asked about keeping the teeth, and they said it’s illegal - everything removed from your body has to be destroyed as medical waste (after any testing that needs to be done of course). A coworker of mine had hip replacement surgery a while ago, and I was mentioning to my wife it would be really cool to be allowed to keep the head of the femur that they remove. She thought that was an utterly horrible idea and no one would ever want to do that. Hence this poll. For the purposes of the poll, assume the bone is delivered to you clean and dry. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2023, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/2 "2023-03-28T12:59:41Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > it would be really cool to be allowed to keep the head of the femur that they remove. …and use it as the handle for a cane! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/3 "2023-03-28T13:06:19Z")
That is a really cool idea there @tofor. It served you faithfully from childhood, why not continue leaning on it until you’re done walking altogether? I’m not much any more for mementos as such. But repurposing something with historical / memento significance into something useful today? I’m all over that. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/4 "2023-03-28T13:08:50Z")
If it were legal, then yes, I’d totally want the bone or bone piece. I had some sort of cyst removed from my foot when I was 16. I asked the surgeon if I could keep it in some sort of preservative vial and he said nope, it had to go to a lab. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/5 "2023-03-28T13:08:50Z")
I’m thinking stock… ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/6 "2023-03-28T13:16:21Z")
Absolutely. I’d also want to keep any soft-tissue organ removed (suitably preserved). ---
**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:** [March 28, 2023, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/7 "2023-03-28T13:17:52Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > That is a really cool idea there @tofor. It served you faithfully from childhood, why not continue leaning on it until you’re done walking altogether? Especially since after sugery you’re going to be wanting a cane anyway. Gotta make it fast though, before you heal up. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2023, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/8 "2023-03-28T13:18:43Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > …and use it as the handle for a cane! You saw _Drive Angry_ too! I did in fact mention that to my wife, and she gave me a “Did I marry a serial killer?” look so I dropped it. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Absolutely. I’d also want to keep any soft-tissue organ removed (suitably preserved). That also came up, though an appendix floating in a jar doesn’t seem quite as cool as the head of a femur. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/9 "2023-03-28T13:27:35Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > Especially since after sugery you’re going to be wanting a cane anyway. Gotta make it fast though, before you heal up. True. OTOH, if you’re getting fake hip(s) now, even after you fully heal a cane is probably not that many more years in your future again. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/10 "2023-03-28T13:46:53Z")
I have kept teeth that ave been pulled, and still have some. When I had a hip replaced about 6 years ago they would not let me have the femur head. 😥 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/11 "2023-03-28T13:49:16Z")
Sure, I’d take it to the bar and if someone wanted to fight, I’d wave it in their face and say “hey, do you want a piece of me?” ---
**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:** [March 28, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/12 "2023-03-28T13:54:16Z")
There’s a valid potential compromise - donate your surgical specimen (bone or organ) to a medical school, with the proviso that you can go to see it when you want. Civil War General Dan Sickles [lost a leg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Sickles%27s_leg) to a cannonball wound at Gettysburg, donated it to the Army Medical Museum and visited it at the museum in later years. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/13 "2023-03-28T13:56:49Z")
I don’t think I can give this one a simple yes or no answer. I wouldn’t be interested in keeping it for sentimental reasons. But depending on the size and shape, it’s possible I might think about it in terms of using it as a cool-looking paperweight or some such. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/14 "2023-03-28T13:56:59Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > There’s a valid potential compromise - donate your surgical specimen (bone or organ) to a medical school, with the proviso that you can go to see it when you want. why would they want it, and wouldn’t it be a logistical nightmare for both parties if you did this? I still have some of my dad’s wisdom teeth. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2023, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/15 "2023-03-28T14:01:46Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@Jackmannii](#): > > > > There’s a valid potential compromise - donate your surgical specimen (bone or organ) to a medical school, with the proviso that you can go to see it when you want. > > why would they want it, and wouldn’t it be a logistical nightmare for both parties if you did this? I was being facetious - but yes, med schools, at least in my day, have used preserved organs and other surgical specimens for teaching in pathology classes. What with autopsies as a source of specimens on the decline, they might be willing to accept a donated kidney or uterus. It might be cool if the patient dropped by for class to explain the circumstances leading to the donation… ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/16 "2023-03-28T14:16:09Z")
Yeah. The last thing I’d want is the silly thing trying to burrow its way back into my body again. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/17 "2023-03-28T15:14:16Z")
Definitely. Any part of me, if they’d let me. I’d be able to bury at least part of me up in the woodlot with the cats and dogs. ---
**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/18 "2023-03-28T15:38:59Z")
I voted Yes. I had kidney surgery twenty years ago. Unbeknownst to me before hand, they removed around 5cm of one of my ribs during the procedure in order to gain better access. The doctor told me afterwards (too late!) that it had already been disposed of. I still feel a little sad that they didn’t put it back and now a part of me is gone. I would have kept it with my five pulled permanent teeth if I had the chance to keep it. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/19 "2023-03-28T16:05:23Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Absolutely. I’d also want to keep any soft-tissue organ removed (suitably preserved). Got my tonsils out when I was 9. I had heard that some kids got to keep their tonsils preserved in a little jar of alcohol or whatever, and I asked for mine to be preserved that way. Was extremely disappointed when it was not followed up on. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783/20 "2023-03-28T16:11:11Z")
I’ve told this story before: Back in the late 90s a friend of mine had a problem with a bone spur on her skull intruding on her inner ear. Which led to insane levels of vertigo, week-long migraines, etc. They needed to cut a decent-sized hole in her skull to get access to grind the bone spur off the inside surface. She really, _really_ wanted a picture of her brain surface while it was exposed. This was back in the day of film cameras. Surgeon was totally dead-set against the idea. Would _not_ do it, period amen. long list of double-talk reasons. So no pic of her own living brain for her. AIUI nowadays they video record most significant surgeries in detail. Though whether they’re willing to share even carefully chosen outtakes with the patient I can’t say. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-want-to-keep-a-bone-surgically-removed-from-your-body/981783.md?page=2)