Anatomical
donations may
be made either directly to the SIU
School of Medicine or to the Anatomical
Gift Association of Illinois. The Anatomical Gift Association
(AGA) is the legal agency representing medical institutions in the
State
which is authorized to procure, prepare and preserve anatomical gifts
for
the medical schools of Illinois. The Association is a nonprofit
corporation
and is governed by a board of directors, consisting of one member from
each medical school; none receives any compensation, nor does any
school
derive profit through its services.
The Donation Process
- Preregistration with SIU or
AGA
is not necessary.
- We recommend making
prearrangements with the
funeral home of your choice, letting them know of your wish to make
this
gift.
- Complete two copies of the Anatomical Gift Form,
leaving the date/location of death blank.
The appropriate responsible person should sign. Leave one
copy of the completed form with the funeral home, and retain the other
copy with your personal papers.
- Upon your death, the funeral
home should be
contacted, and they will handle the arrangements with us. They will
transport
the body to us, along with the donation form, a copy of the death
certificate, and state permits for disposition and cremation. You or
your
estate will be responsible for any charges by the funeral home,
although
the School of Medicine pays for the cremation. On the Carbondale
campus embalming is done at no charge by faculty and students in the
Mortuary
Science program.
- Anatomical donations are
typically studied
by students for at least an entire school year, then cremated.
- If you desire, the cremated
remains can be
returned to your family at no charge when our study is complete.
You should expect that this will take 18 - 36 months from the time of
donation.
- Any remains that are not
desired
by the family
will be interred in our mausoleum at
Pleasant
Grove Cemetery between Carbondale and Murphysboro.
Criteria for Donations
- There is no maximum age, but
donations under
age 21 are accepted only under special circumstances.
- Maximum body size is 6'2"
tall
and 20" elbow
to elbow.
- Maximum weight is 200 pounds.
- Neither bodies that have
been
autopsied nor
used for organ donations (other than corneas) are accepted by SIU
School
of Medicine.
- Individuals with any
conditions
that would
put students at risk, including the following are not acceptable
donors:
AIDS/HIV, bacterial sepsis, Hepatitis B or C, Herpes II,
Jakob-Creutzfeldt
disease, meningitis, Paget's disease, staphylococcus (MRSA) or tuberculosis.
- Time between death and the
donation may be
a factor.
Your interest and intentions in this
action
display a noble and unselfish concern for the welfare of others. We
sincerely
appreciate your interest in Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine
and in its research and educational programs.
Instructions for Funeral Directors
For additional information call
or e-mail Kent Epplin, (618) 453-1573. In Springfield, contact Research
Services, (217) 545-8910. There is also considerable general
information
available about body donation at http://www.agaillinois.org or phone (800)734-5283.
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