From ancient times, physicians have studied the human body, striving to unlock its secrets in order to treat more successfully the illnesses that continue to ravage humankind. For more than 500 years, this kind of study has been pursued in a scientific way, providing the principal means of introducing aspiring young doctors to the internal structure of the human body, laying a foundation for an understanding of normal bodily functions and how disease may affect both structure and function. The practice continues today in the laboratories of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), where students of medicine, dentistry, and the allied health professions learn from the bodies of persons who have contributed their physical remains for this very specific educational endeavor. Often referred to as the ultimate charitable act, these gifts have far-reaching benefits, extending beyond the students themselves to generations of patients as well. Surveys have shown that people inclined to donate their bodies for use in medical studies do so through a strong desire to assist, in a material way, the transmission of medical knowledge across generations and take justifiable pride in their understanding of the essential contribution the gift of their bodies makes to this process.¹

The UTHSCSA welcomes your interest in the process of body donation. Shown below are a series of questions and responses that address many of the basic inquiries. Also shown is the text of the actual Willed Body Form with which donors indicate the desire to contribute their bodies. If after having read the information you have questions that remain unanswered, we invite you to phone our office to discuss them (210)567-3900. You may request that will forms be sent to you, if that is your wish, by calling the same number. If you prefer to correspond with us through the mail, you may address inquiries to:

You may also address questions or requests for forms by e-mail to: James Mazzucca.

Who may donate?
The Willed Body Program of the UTHSCSA is authorized by the laws of the State of Texas², which stipulate that donors must be at least eighteen years of age and competent to make such a bequest. Signing a form such as the example below is sufficient to validate the donor's wish, provided that the signature is certified by two witnesses of legal age.

What costs are involved in the donation?
Following a practice that is standard throughout the United States, the UTHSCSA does not pay for body donations; indeed, such payments are illegal. The institution does provide, however, for basic embalming and for transportation to the Health Science Center within a 100-mile radius, as well as for cremation of the remains following completion of study of the body. For additional details, see the explanatory information with the Willed Body Form, below.

What will my family do about a funeral?
Because use of a body in anatomical studies requires thorough preservation as soon as practical after death, it is usually not possible to have a traditional funeral service. Many donors and their families prefer to have a memorial service without the body present, and to eulogize the donor's spirit in the service. Clergy or funeral directors can easily arrange this kind of service.

Will the people in the laboratory know that it's my body?
To respect the privacy of the donor's identity, names of the persons whose bodies are used in the Anatomy Laboratory are not revealed to students. However, students are aware that the bodies are available only through the generous gift of the deceased individual or the next of kin and are appreciative of the opportunity provided by their anonymous benefactors. Nevertheless, secure files maintained by the Willed Body Program make possible the positive identification of any particular body from the time it arrives at the UTHSCSA until final disposition of the ashes.

What happens to my body after the students have finished their course of study?
Each body is cremated by personnel of the Willed Body Program, and the ashes are collected in a separate container marked with that body's identification number.

What happens to the ashes after the cremation?
There are two possibilities: If members of the family have given prior instructions to the Willed Body Program, indicating a desire to receive the ashes following the cremation, the next of kin will be notified when the ashes are ready to be returned. A fee will be charged for the return of the ashes.

If the family prefers not to receive the ashes or if no survivors remain, the ashes will be buried in the cemetery of the UTHSCSA. This small part of the campus has been set aside as a memorial, honoring all persons who have donated their bodies for anatomical study at the Health Science Center.

How and when does that burial occur?
At a given point in the academic year, usually in the spring, the Willed Body Program conducts a burial ceremony at the cemetery. Ashes not returned to families are collected from the remaining bodies and are buried together. Participants in the ceremony include students, faculty, and administration.

Is there any reason that my body might not be accepted by the Willed Body Program?
There are several extenuating circumstances that can make a body unacceptable for the Program. These conditions are listed in the "Exclusions" section of the Willed Body Form below.

Do I have to sign the Willed Body Form in advance?
In some cases it is not absolutely necessary for you to make prior arrangements. However, if you have made the arrangements the entire process is greatly facilitated.

What about my family?
It is vital for you to discuss your decision to become a donor with the members of your family. In some cases, family members need some time to become accustomed to the fact that their relative has made this unique decision about use in medical education of his or her body following death. By asking family members to serve as witnesses to your signature on the Will Form, you help them begin this process. In addition, at the time of death it is very important for the Willed Body Program to be notified as soon as possible, so that the body can be properly embalmed in a timely manner. When family members know in advance that they need simply to phone our office (210)-567-3900, the process is considerably easier.

¹Hurwitz, B. S., and Richardson, R.: "Profile of Whole Body Donors for Dissection." Clinical Anat., 9:418-419, 1986.

² Health and Safety Code of the State of Texas, Title 8, Chapters 691-693.

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Text of Willed Body Agreement

Please note: After reading the information below, the Willed Body Form (in .pdf format) is available on this site for printing. If you are unable to print it, please contact us via email, telephone (210)-567-3900, or regular U.S. Mail in order to receive copies of the Agreement and necessary forms.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE WILLED BODY PROGRAM:

WILLED BODY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF CELLULAR AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT SAN ANTONIO
Mail Code 7762 • 7703 Floyd Curl Drive • San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900
(210) 567-3900

PURPOSE OF THE WILLED BODY PROGRAM
The Willed Body Program provides anatomical material that is essential for the furtherance of medical knowledge. Most of the bodies which come through this program to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio are used in the teaching of anatomy (body structure) to medical students, dental students or students of the allied health sciences. Some bodies are used by resident physicians and dentists in their training for specialty practice. Other bodies may be used by biomedical scientists in research aimed at the solution of specific health problems or the development of new medical or surgical procedures or devices. In all cases, the Willed Body Program retains control of the body and is responsible for its treatment in a manner befitting a human body.

PROCEDURE FOR WILLING YOUR BODY
Texas law (Health and Safety Code of the State of Texas, Title 8, Chapters 691-693) allows persons 18 years of age or older to will their bodies for use in the advancement of medical science. This bequest does not require the consent of relatives and may be made by completing the simple statement on the attached Body Bequeathal Agreement form. The statement requires the donor’s signature, attested to by the signatures of two witnesses of legal age. The form does not need to be notarized; and relatives, spouses, or neighbors, etc., may sign as witnesses. In fact, it is desirable to have such persons witness the form to avoid misunderstanding among the survivors. You have been given one copy of the will form designating The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio as recipient of your body. When you have completed the form, please return it to the address at the top of the page for registration by our office.

After your will is entered into our records, a signed copy of the form will be returned to you, along with a wallet card that identifies you as a body donor. One copy of the form should be kept with your personal papers, but do not place it in a safe deposit box in a bank vault. It is important to use these forms and follow this procedure, since a bank box may not be opened or a formal will may not be read until it is too late to comply with your intentions to have your body used for medical purposes. Other copies of the form may be used to inform the person who is likely to manage your affairs at the time of your death that you wish your body to be used in medical science. Also notify your family, attorney, doctor, and friends of your bequest.

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ARRANGEMENTS FOR DELIVERY OF YOUR BODY TO THE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER
For use in medical studies, bodies must be specially embalmed as soon after death as reasonably possible; if embalming is not begun within six to ten hours after death, the body may not be acceptable. The Willed Body Program can help make these arrangements at the time of death; if the family so desires, they should call the office at (210) 567-3900. In case of difficulty in reaching the department office by phone, call the University Police at (210) 567-2801 and ask that they relay the message to us. If the family prefers to make private arrangements with a mortuary, the Willed Body Program should be informed at the time of death and then called by the funeral home when the body is ready to be released; in this case, it may be helpful to provide a copy of the will form and these instructions to the firm that is likely to be chosen. If a funeral is to be held, the Willed Body Program should be notified of the death and called again after the service is completed, to arrange for delivery of the body. Please note that embalming beyond that needed for anatomical study will render the body unacceptable; if questions regarding procedure arise, please have the mortician call our office for clarification.

DISPOSITION OF REMAINS
After study of the body is completed, the remains shall be cremated.  It is not unusual for the length of study to require three (3) to five (5) years, but it may be shorter.  We will neither promise nor agree to a time span for the length of our studies.  If a request has been made to return the ashes, our office will call the telephone number provided in order to notify the recipient when the ashes are ready to be mailed by registered mail through the United States Postal Service. Unless we are asked to return the cremated remains, the ashes from all bodies studied during the same general period of time will be buried, approximately once a year, in the University’s private cemetery.

The Willed Body Program can return available cremated remains of your body to your family if, at the time the body is received, the request is made and the agreement to do so is signed. It may not be possible to comply if the request is made at a later time.

The Body Bequeathal Agreement form on the back of the next page contains a blank in which your desire concerning the disposition of ashes can be recorded. There is a separate agreement to the conditions placed upon return of available cremated remains. Your survivors will be required to pay for the return of ashes. Under no circumstances will uncremated remains be returned.

COST
Ordinarily the Health Science Center will pay a nominal fee for the mortician’s basic services in preparation and transportation of your body from the funeral home to the Center when death occurs within 100 miles of San Antonio. Costs of services beyond those ordinarily required for anatomical preservation of the body or charges exceeding those normally paid by this institution will be the responsibility of the family or estate. The Willed Body Program will not accept charges for funerals, memorial services, counseling, etc., or for transportation of bodies beyond 100 miles from San Antonio. If death occurs at a greater distance from San Antonio, expense can sometimes be minimized by arranging at the time for the body to be received by an appropriate institution located closer to the place of death; the Willed Body Program often can assist but cannot guarantee success in this effort. Additionally as noted in the preceding section, the Willed Body Program will require payment for the return of available cremated remains, if that agreement is signed. If you move out of the San Antonio area, your will to this Health Science Center should be revoked and a substitute arrangement made with an approved institution nearer your new home.

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EXCLUSIONS
Because bodies willed to the school are used mainly in the education of physicians, dentists, and allied health personnel, and to a minor extent in medical research, the usefulness of a body is greatly diminished if all parts are not intact. Therefore bodies from which parts have been removed for transplant purposes or during the course of an autopsy will not be accepted for the Willed Body Program. Our program is not attempting to compete with other programs that make organs and tissues available for transplantation or with those that promote postmortem studies necessary for the maintenance of quality in medical care; all these efforts offer benefits to society, but since the needs of each program exclude mutual use of the body, the donor or survivors must make a clear choice in how the body will be used. Exceptions to this general rule are that the corneas (but not whole eyes) may be donated to an eye bank (through a separate willing process) and that bodies on which surgery or amputation has been performed will usually be accepted, if the incisions have healed.

The Willed Body Program cannot guarantee acceptance of a willed body. A body will not be acceptable if any of the following conditions are present:

1. Organs or parts (other than corneas) have been removed at or following the time of death, such as for transplantation or in an autopsy;
2. Decomposition of the body prior to embalming;
3. Severe trauma, such as death from drowning, burning, homicide, or motor vehicle accident;
4. Death by suicide;
5. Open wounds (including recent major surgery) or ulceration of the body;
6. Contagious diseases, especially viral, such as virulent herpes, hepatitis, or HIV, but also other drug-resistant infectious diseases, as well as dementias of the Creutzfeldt-Jacob type;
7. Excessive obesity, emaciation, or body contractures;
8. Ruptured aneurysm; or
9. Malignancy that has spread to involve multiple adjacent organs, especially within the abdominal region.

In summary, the Willed Body Program reserves the right to refuse any body which is, in the opinion of the Director, unfit for its use or which for other reasons it cannot use.

REGISTRATION OF THE FORM DONATING YOUR BODY
If you wish to will your body to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio under the foregoing conditions, complete and return this form to the Willed Body Program to the address shown at the bottom of this page. One copy will be placed in our files and two registered copies of the form, signed by our personnel, will be returned for your use. You will also be sent an identification card to carry in your wallet, stating your wish that your body be used in our willed body program and giving instructions for notifying us of your death. It is essential that your will forms be registered by our office, since your body may not be accepted if we do not have a record of your will.

If donor forms are not on file with the Willed Body Program at the time of death, the next of kin may make an after death donation of the body to our program. Please contact the Willed Body Program (210/567-3900) to receive instruction to do so.

BODY BEQUEATHAL AGREEMENT

Willed Body Form (.pdf)
Please note: This form is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BEQUEATHING BODY
Please print the Body Bequeathal Agreement. Fill it out, sign it having your signature witnessed by two people over 18 years of age. Then send form to the Willed Body Program at the address on letterhead of the form. Upon receipt of the form by the Willed Body Progam, it will be signed by the coordinator and a copy of the form along with an identification card will be sent to you.