OCR Text |
Show U of U needs cadavers The University of Utah Medical Si hool's body donor program needs cadavers for education and research. re-search. Mortui vivos docent--1he deceased deceas-ed teach the living is a Latin reminder of purpose found etched in medical school anatomy laboratories worldwide. ' Without access to human anatomical specimens for study, medical students and other healthcare health-care trainees would have a critical void in their educational experience and research and the advancement of medical knowledge would pro-t pro-t eed at a snail's pace," according to Kerry Don Peterson, director of the body donor program at the University Univer-sity of Utah School of Medicine. "The three-dimensional intricacies in-tricacies of the human body cannot be fully duplicated in books, on slides, by computers or through the use of plastic models," explained Peterson. "The only medium for thorough study and research of the human being is the body itself." Peterson said the University needs about 95 human cadavers each year for use by medical, dental j and physical therapy students and research by surgeons and biomedical scientists. 4 'There has been a steady and serious decline in the number of body donations since 1982," he said, "and, in 1989, only 43 families elected to donate the bodies of deceased loved ones to the medical school to advance teaching and research." Peterson wants to educate the public about the importance of body donation and to outline how it can be pre-arranged. "People now perceive organ donation as a very valuable gift and they're correct-but correct-but what they don't stop to think about is that the surgeons who perform per-form organ transplants learn to do so on cadavers." "Obviously, the generosity of body ! donors adds immeasurably to the quality of our lives and the health of future generations. People who give their bodies to science extend their own usefulness far beyond the grave." As with organ donation, it is important im-portant that the next-of-kin be made aware of and agree with the donor's wishes. The surviving spouse can also donate the body of a husband or wife. "Most body donors choose to participate in the program for altruistic reasons. However, some economic advantages exist," explained ex-plained Peterson. "The Department of Anatomy usually covers all transportation, preparation and disposition fees; exceptions exist when the death occurs far from Salt Lake City or out of state." A family also may choose to have a funeral prior to the donation, in which case the additional expenses ex-penses are the responsibility of the family. When medical studies are completed, com-pleted, Peterson said, the body is cremated at no expense to the family fami-ly and, in accordance with the donor's do-nor's wishes, the ashes are either returned re-turned to the family or placed in a memorial site at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. As with other donor programs, certain criteria must be met for acceptance. ac-ceptance. "One of the hardest parts of my job is to refuse a body donor, do-nor, ' said Peterson. ' ' Some pathologic and physical conditions render a body unusable for educational educa-tional and scientific study." Details concerning these are included in-cluded in the donor packet. To learn more about the University of Utah School of Medicine's body donation dona-tion program write or call: Kerry Peterson, Department of Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Med-icine, 50 N. Medical Drive, Salt lake City, Utah 84132. Phone: 801-581-6728 weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or 801-581-2121 after hours and weekends. |