Donating body to Science/research Question?

Hogzy

Ok i need to prove someone wrong! Im an arogant person:p
Someone said today that you are usually given a cash reward for donating your body to science! I know (through my morals and understanding of the English language) that financial gain for giving up your body (after death of course) must be illegal, Does anyone know where the law for this exists?(assuming it does exist?)

johnnyskeleton

There is caselaw to the effect that a dead human body is not property and as such it cannot be owned, bought or sold. However, if someone has provision in their will to dispose of their remains in a certain way, this will usually be honoured. AFAIK, when someone sells their body after death to a scientific or medical body they are agreeing to include this in their will or at least not put anything contrary to this in their will. If their will provides for another means of disposal, the body is entitled to their money back (probably with interest) but they cannot claim any proprietary right over the cadaver.

There is nothing to stop people entering these agreements, and they are usually enforced by custom rather than by the strict rule of law.

Hogzy

So is it "Custom" to recieve a cash reward at the time of execution of the will or at the time the executor administers the estate?

I am also considering that it may be policy of a public institution to not give a financial reward for a body however private institutions might? Im really interested to know now

Stirling

Of course the really weird question would be the value to be ascribed to the body, the decision to sell and amount may have been worked out years earlier and as wills speak from the time of death rather than at the time of bequest would there have to be an adjustment for inflation?

I suppose what I'm really asking is could the dead body trade ultimataely have an impact on the Consumer Price Index? ::D

Hogzy

Stirling wrote: »

Of course the really weird question would be the value to be ascribed to the body, the decision to sell and amount may have been worked out years earlier and as wills speak from the time of death rather than at the time of bequest would there have to be an adjustment for inflation?

I suppose what I'm really asking is could the dead body trade ultimataely have an impact on the Consumer Price Index? ::D

Also any radical changes made to the body like loss of a limb etc would devalue it!

Victor

Hogzy wrote: »

Also any radical changes made to the body like loss of a limb etc would devalue it!

Not necessarily - novelty value.

But would they claim it up front, before death?

Alice1

Many years ago, I decided to donate my body to medical science. My offer was accepted and there was no mention of any financial reward - mind you, I didn't ask - it never occurred to me to ask!

Maybe I could advertise:
One careful lady owner......