Donating Your Body to Science
If your loved one has indicated in their will or last wishes that they would like their body to be donated to science, there are a few things to take into consideration.
What is the donation process?
At the time of death, your family, attending doctor or funeral director should contact the Human Body Bequest Programme at the University as soon as possible. In order to determine if a body is appropriate for donation they need to get details of your medical history from your GP or treating doctor.
There are reasons why, at certain times and due to certain conditions, they might not be able to accept your donation and they reserve the right to decide whether or not to proceed with the donation.
This decision can only be made at the time of death. If accepted, they will liaise with the family or funeral director to transport your body to the University.
Once the study of the body is complete (typically 2-3 years), the remains will be cremated in an individual casket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You apply before you die by contacting a medical school programme such as the Human Body Bequest Programme at the University of Auckland or the equivalent programme at the University of Otago. They will send you a registration form to complete and keep your details on file.
It is important that you discuss your intentions with your next of kin, executor of your estate and family doctor. It is only with the consent of your family that medical schools are able to accept your donation after you die.
There are medical and logistical criteria that might affect acceptance (e.g., recent surgery, certain diseases, coroner’s involvement).
The bequest of bodies for anatomical study is governed by the Human Tissue Act 2008. Under the Act, the Department requires dual signed consent from the individual and an immediate family member*. For this reason we require the donor and one member of the immediate family to sign a consent form. It is the duty of the immediate family member to undertake all reasonably practicable steps to consult other members of the immediate family prior to completing the form.
In Auckland, at the time of donation, your family will be given the option of either collecting the ashes from the medical school or having them scattered at the memorial plot the University has at the Mangere Memorial Gardens. If your family wishes to collect the ashes they will be notified when they are ready for collection.
In Otago, following the completion of study, the remains are cremated at the Dunedin Crematorium, without a service, and the ashes scattered on a rose garden at Andersons Bay cemetery. Should the family of the donor wish to request the return of ashes, they can do so, in writing, before the body is removed for embalming.
Because the donor’s body has to be specially embalmed very soon after death, it is not possible to hold a service with the body present. However, a memorial service can be held without the body being present.
If your loved one’s primary wish is to donate their organs, they wont be able to be embalmed properly for anatomical study.
Auckland School of Medicine
Human Body Bequest Programme
Phone: +64 9 923 6703
Email: bodybequest@auckland.ac.nz
Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142
Otago School of Biomedical Sciences
The Body Bequest Liaison Officer
Department of Anatomy
University of Otago
PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054
Phone 0800 580 500
Email bodybequests@otago.ac.nz
Cultural Perspective
Māori ceremony
At the beginning of each year a Māori ceremony, or whakawātea, is carried out in Otago’s Department’s Dissecting Room where the covered bodies of people about to be studied are resting.
This “clearing of the way” ceremony helps the Department’s Māori students who will be attending classes in the Dissecting Room come to terms with death, and is not intended to have any religious significance for the individual bequeathed bodies. At the end of the teaching year the bodies are thanked with a Poroporoaki (farewell).
