“We have to provide medical students with the tools and the body. It is the best tool we can offer ”.
A Morrissey couple, eager to remain anonymous, decided about four years ago to donate their bodies to the University of Quebec at Trois-Riviere (UQTR) after their death. Antoine and Sara (assumed names) are among the 3,500 people on the list of potential donors.
The motivation behind this choice? Help advance science by saving your loved one from the administrative burden surrounding the death of a loved one.
“By the way, when you die, there is a set of responsibilities in the family, like arrangements, funerals, etc. It takes time, it is stressful and expensive ”. Antoine, 79, whose grandson will soon graduate from medical school. He says, “With college, we liberate our loved ones from this. Routine work and we help future doctors to gain experience during their studies ”.
“I’d rather end up in college than in a box that’s not used much!”
Sarah (not her real name)
Year after year, the corpses inherited from UQTR enabled approximately 1,400 students from various health science curricula to receive training in human anatomy. In this context, they are used for demonstrations and practical workshops: anatomy, surgery, intubation, resuscitation techniques, etc.
The agencies also allow physicians and other health professionals to conduct research with the aim of improving and even developing new technologies and approaches in terms of treatment or intervention.
The number of bodies that are received each year in the autopsy laboratory varies. In 2017 there were 65 people. The people with whom you are invited to interact are subject to a very strict moral code of respect for the body. We also make sure to keep the donor’s identity confidential by attaching their body to a code.
After a study period of a few months to three years, the university proceeds with the burial. “Everything that belongs to the donor is collected and incinerated, except the preserved parts of the autopsy kits,” says laboratory director Jill Bronchetti. The ashes are then returned to the family if they ask for it. “
Mr. Bronshti says that 65-70% of families express this desire. Unclaimed ashes are buried for free in a personalized package at the St. Louis Cemetery. The family is invited to participate in the ceremony.
Did you know
Once a year, on the second Sunday in October, a memorial dedicated to donors is held at UQTR. Families are encouraged to participate. According to Gil Bronshti, director of the anatomy laboratory, between 450 and 500 people participate.
A thoughtful decision
It was Sarah’s girlfriend who informed the couple that her body could be transferred to an educational institution after her death. “I found it really interesting,” says 76-year-old Sarah. I’d rather end up in college than in a box that’s not used much! “
The spouses then proceeded to be registered on the list of potential donors; A list that the UQTR updates every two years to verify the interests of each donor and note what changes should be made to their profile, if applicable: health status, contact details, contacts, etc.
“We signed a contract in front of the witnesses, then we received a letter about the procedures to follow in the event of death. Our decision has been communicated to the family, and it is a decision that matters to us, ”Sarah continues. .
Insecure
It is important to clarify that not all potential donor organisms end up on student and researcher schedules.
“Unfortunately, we reject many bodies each year, due to a lack of space in general. In this case, then we go to other universities to see if they can accommodate them ”.
If the body is not finally found in possession, the family must bear the costs associated with its burial or cremation. You also have the option to decline. In this case, it is considered an unclaimed corpse and will be buried by the state.
Eligibility criteria
The body should not be embalmed or autopsied.
The body must contain all its vital organs.
Body weight should be proportional to your size.
The body must not deform.
The body must not have been burned or involved in a serious accident.
The deceased did not have jaundice.
The cause of death must not be an infectious disease.
Beneficiary institutions
Laval University
McGill University
Sherbrooke University
University of Quebec P Detroit Riviere
Rosemont College
Donate your body or organs?
It is important to distinguish between donating your body for the sake of science and donating your organs. The former allows you to fully utilize your body for study and experimentation by health researchers and students. The second allows you to remove vital and healthy organs to save lives.
Anyone can sign up for both types of donations. Your suitability for one of them will be determined after your death. For example, for organ donation, death must necessarily be of neurological origin (cerebral arrest) or of the heart and circulatory system, which usually occurs after an accident, for example. Otherwise, it is not necessary to remove the organs for transplantation.
“A person who becomes eligible for organ donation is no longer eligible to donate a body. Because to accept a body, it must be complete and without any trauma ”, sums up Jill Bronquetti, director of the anatomy laboratory at the University of Quebec in Trois-Riviere. “If they are comfortable with the idea, we recommend that people sign up for both types of donations,” continues the director. They don’t have to choose between one or the other; Both are important. “
It is a good idea to specify that organ donation will take priority if the donor is eligible, as it saves lives in the near future.
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