Most states permit government officials to donate unclaimed bodies to medical schools, with no legal requirement for prior approval from the deceased or their next of kin.
The handling and disposition of human bodies raises all sorts of ethical and legal questions.
Jupiterimages/The Image Bank via Getty Images
Why you should consider donating your body to research once you die.
Cadaver-based teaching prepares students intellectually and emotionally to deal with the challenges they will face in their health sciences careers.
Dr Tobias Houlton
Dissection also plays an important role in introducing students to death. It provides moral and ethical training for students as well as a humanistic approach to patient care.