Medical Research Cadavers

What is a medical cadaver? A medical cadaver is the body of a person who donated their remains to science at death. This gift is crucial to the continued development of medical science.

Cadaver anatomy is an essential part of a medical education. The intricate design of the human body cannot be fully appreciated without a detailed examination of the tissues and organs and their myriad connections. For the next generation of medical students, earning the privilege to study a human body is an important stepping stone in their transition from student to physician. A course in cadaver anatomy is often remembered by doctors as the most difficult in their education. The cadaver lab is a place of respect and humility. Here, medical students come face to face not merely with death, but with the profound mysteries that still reside within the human body.

Even after medical school, physicians must turn to a cadaver for the final proofs of a surgical technique. Although phenomenal advances in computer imaging and modeling technology allow surgical research facilities to explore new approaches, ethics demand the use of medical cadavers to validate procedures before they can be attempted on living patients. The continuing education cadaver lab also lets surgeons develop highly refined techniques without risk to a patient.

LifeQuest is the program of choice for leading research facilities seeking medical research cadavers. People who make a whole body donation are providing some of the nation’s most prestigious research facilities with the tools crucial to understanding the progress of diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis. The gift of an anatomical donation also helps continuing education cadaver labs train surgeons in new techniques. The uses for a medical research cadaver are nearly endless. A cadaver may be selected for an imaging project such as the Visible Human Project, a collection of thousands of scans and cross sections of the human body which creates a virtual cadaver lab.

If you or a loved one has decided upon cremation, please consider making a body donation to medical science. This final act of caring is a gift of life to future generations. Contact LifeQuest at 1-866-799-2300 and discuss this compassionate alternative to a funeral. If desired, you may request a free, no obligation information packet which details the benefits of body donation to you or a loved one’s estate, as well as the benefits to humankind.

Request Donation Packet
FAQ