Donating your Body to Science

BODY BEQUEATHAL FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
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Donating Your Body to Science:

The Ultimate Gift to Future Generations 

The human body is as mysterious as it is fascinating. It embodies our life and yet largely lies out of sight beneath our skin. For thousands of years, we have explored this secret realm to discover how it functions as a whole and to treat illness and injury and today medical science is identifying and protecting us from genetic predispositions to particular conditions or disease. An exploration of the human body is central to all future doctors’ learning as they build the knowledge and experience to treat patients and save lives: this is only made possible through the generosity of body donors. 

The anatomical study of humans has long been an essential component of medical education. Whilst the artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo undertook and drew detailed dissections of the human body, anatomy as a dedicated branch of human knowledge was founded by Aristotle (384-322 BCE). Three thousand years earlier, evidence from the tomb of Queen Shubad of Ur (c3500 BCE) suggests she was a pioneering surgeon. Today, a detailed understanding of exact human anatomy continues to underpin modern medical advances such as ‘keyhole’ or Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS).

At 900 years old, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) is the oldest continuously operating medical teaching school in the world, a heritage of which it is proud, and with the invaluable support of body donors, it continues to provide students with world class practical hands- and eyes-on experience of the human body.

In 2017 QMUL opened its Malta Campus in Victoria, Gozo where students enjoy state-of-the-art learning facilities, studying anatomy and other disciplines to underpin their clinical learning experiences at Gozo General Hospital and Mater Dei Hospital. It is at the QMUL Anatomy Centre in Gozo where students meet their ‘first patients’, body donors with whom they begin their essential anatomical studies with respect and gratitude.

Interestingly, the first officially recorded donation of a body for medical research in Malta dates back to 1918, with over 1,500 people in Malta and Gozo having gifted their bodies to science over the past century. More than a hundred years later, local body donors continue to generously support the training of future doctors, at QMUL.

Students are introduced gently to the body donors in their first year at QMUL, and whilst the donors are formally anonymous, each continues to be valued as an individual, retaining their first name for use by the students, who treat them with the same respect and dignity afforded to the living.

While students learn anatomy from medical images and plastic models (above), anatomical dissection informs their knowledge of the human body in ways vital to good patient care and safe clinical procedures.

After five years of intensive study, the young doctors-in-training will complete the QMUL Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). Once qualified, having benefitted from essential hands-on practice of surgical techniques using body donors and the University’s low ratio of students to lecturers and surgeons, these new clinicians will disperse to myriad countries around the world. And thus, the valuable contribution made by body donors here supports global healthcare for the next generation.

Graham Gurr is one of Gozo’s residents who has chosen to donate his body to Queen Mary University of London on his passing, he explains “I decided to be a body donor because I’d like to do something that benefits others when I die. It’s very special for an island of the size of Gozo to have this world-class medical school. It’s inspirational for the youngsters growing up here and I’m pleased to be able to help trainee doctors locally.”

Dr David Sunnucks, Head of Anatomy at Queen Mary University London in Malta, explains the importance of body donors to QMUL, “Medical technology is incredible, and we have state-of-the-art patient simulation, but nothing beats examining a real body. As an educationalist and clinician, helping educate our future doctors, with help from these fantastic human beings who have decided to leave their bodies, our medical students will investigate the wonders of the human body and be able to visualise its internal structures properly. It is difficult to imagine the parts of the human body without seeing them in context, and this makes dissection the best way to learn about the human body, to provide a holistic approach in their future clinical practice and patient care.”

Dr Thomas Heaton, explains: “As a medical doctor, using your eyes and hands is fundamental: knowing how an abdomen or a joint should feel is essential, and it’s very powerful to see findings such as gallstones, kidney cysts and others in situ. The texture of tissues is also incredibly important – a brain is very delicate whilst a tumour, for example, can be very hard. You won’t forget the way they feel in your hands and this is so important when you’re examining a patient. Visualising and handling tissues in dissection will enable the integration of anatomical knowledge to a live clinical scenario, making for safer and more well-rounded practice.

Queen Mary University of London medical students in Malta at Science in the City

“Our donors are our very first patients,” says 4th year student doctor Michael Hurley who explains how investigating a body donor can be daunting initially. “It is through spending time with body donors, that we become comfortable with real bodies. It’s also very helpful to see the variations between them. Just as no two people are the same, everyone’s bodies are different.” 

“Seeing a body donor for the first time was a transformative experience for me,” says Kacper Maciejewski, who is also a student doctor in his 3rd year. “It was spiritual, and I felt as if my identity changed to a doctor in that moment. Reflecting philosophically, it’s when you’re confronted with death, you most value life and humanity.” 

Eesheeta Mangal is in her 3rd year of medical studies at QMUL: “As students, we greatly appreciate the opportunity to study body donors. Examining a complete person gives us a much better understanding of what we’ll be dealing with as doctors. The body has so many intricate interconnected parts: it’s biology, chemistry, and a person’s past. As well as scars and clues about their medical history, their brain holds their experience and memories. It’s a privilege to be able to examine them and we never forget that.”  

During reflective studies incorporated into QMUL’s anatomical teaching, students express their heartfelt gratitude to the body donors through creative writing which is being compiled into a book of gratitude to share with the community.  

“As people get to an age where they accept the reality of death and look to what comes after, many are happy to think that after their passing, their body will contribute to improving the lives of those still living. Knowing you can be useful in death brings joy,” says Senior Anatomy Technician, Zenzo Moyo. “The body is the embodiment of a life that has been lived and it is an absolute privilege to be bequeathed a donor’s body. Our clinical skills unit is a peaceful place to be, and we invite potential body donors to come and have a chat and a tour.”

In support of people thinking about becoming body donors QMUL hosts an annual invitation to visit their state-of-the-art Campus facilities and explore with students and staff what their decision would mean to them and to the QMUL medical training programmes. While at the University, they will meet clinical teaching staff, students, and have a tour of the Campus and its dedicated Anatomy Centre to understand the importance of donating and the utmost respect with which their decision to volunteer their bodies is received by everyone involved.  

After making the decision to donate one’s body to QMUL for medical science, registering to be a body donor is straightforward, simply requiring the completion of a short self-explanatory form in the presence of a witness. QMUL recommends that potential donors also discuss their plans with their family. In addition to returning the form to the medical school, a potential donor should also inform their doctor and notary of their intention.  

After their death, a body donor undergoes the normal embalming process, and then remains at the medical school for a period of the donor’s choosing. When their time at the medical school comes to an end, a body donor makes their final journey to Nadur Cemetery in Gozo in the company of QMUL Anatomy Staff and is respectfully buried by a funeral director. There will be a memorial service to which the body donor’s next of kin can be invited. Alternatively, a body donor’s family may wish to make other arrangements. 

It is widely accepted that donating an organ in the hopes of saving a life is a wonderful thing to do. Donating your whole body when you die could potentially save many more lives by providing a crucial foundation for doctors’ clinical and surgical training. 

If you would like to know more about bequeathing your body to the QMUL Medical School in Gozo, a full information pack is available from the Bequeathal Officer who can be contacted on +356 9910 8044 or via bodydonation@qmul.ac.uk.

Ethics

The Medical School follows stringent controls provided by the European Tissue Directive (2004) and others.

Contact Us

For more information on Body Donation please contact our Bequeathal Officer.

Information Session

Register to attend our next information session on 30 October 2024 at 2pm.

Contact Us

Queen Mary University of London
Malta Campus
Triq l-Arcisqof Pietru Pace
Victoria VCT 2520 Gozo, Malta

Business Development:
n.mcdonald@qmul.ac.uk

Admissions:
smd-mbbs-malta@qmul.ac.uk

General Enquiries:
malta@qmul.ac.uk

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