Beyond your last breath
Would you donate your body for science?
They say nothing is certain in life but for death and taxes. Sooner or later, the inevitable shall befall us. We shall have done our time and transitioned to the unknown. So when the days do pile up and one eventually leads to your last, what would outlive you?
From ashes to ashes and dust to dust.
Would you deflect from the norm and give your body up for research? Or would you rather just lie down and perpetually rest after a lifetime of toil and wear? It would be a rest well deserved.
I got curious about Organ Donations after death and while looking into that, I stumbled upon body donations. What becomes of donated bodies? Are they treated like the heroes they are? Do they at least refer to them by name and treat them respectfully or do they just stamp reference numbers on them like they would a library book and converse like,
“Hey, Phil! Bring Eleven out. We’re all set for dissection. No, no, no. This is Eight. I said Eleven. Female. Medium height. Slender.”
And then proceed to shove them on the table like they would a stack of books. Could you imagine a stranger thing?
Do doctors, out of sheer courtesy, introduce the donated bodies to their handlers? Just some form of acknowledgment like,
“This is Brida. She died in her sleep at the solid age of 78 and has donated her body for our study today. She liked to read and write and was sad in her later years that she didn’t get to travel everywhere.”
Or a quick generic one like,
“I'm Dr. Dru. Thank you for your contribution to the medical and science fraternity at large. In death we’re learning from you.”
I’d like to believe they do that. Maybe not as detailed or dramatic but something in that spectrum of respect. You know? A little decency before diving in with scissors, scalpels, chisels, perhaps sending an arm to Department X, two legs to Chiropractors at hospital Y, a skull to Z School of Medicine, and then delving into the torso.
But all that aside, chances are that you too, either directly or indirectly, may be a beneficiary of someone who made the choice to donate their body for medical research and training after death. I do think it’s a noble cause but it's certainly not for all. Few go through that route perhaps because of cultural, religious, or even just personal beliefs and preferences. Besides, in case of obesity, great trauma or other such like conditions, your offer to donate may not even be accepted and would instead be respectfully declined. Death, it seems, is not that great of an equalizer after all.
All in all, not enough is said about all this and it certainly is a road less taken. We can only pay reverence to those that do. Would you take that chance?
