One person a day agrees to donate body to science

ONE person a day in Ireland agrees to donate their body to medical science, the country’s medical colleges revealed yesterday.

Trinity College alone has 900 people on a donor 'waiting list'.

The country's five medical colleges receive between 50 and 100 bodies every year. But given the time lapse between people agreeing to donate and dying, there is a constant requirement for cadavers to develop surgical skills.

Clive Lee, Professor of Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons, encourages people to donate their bodies for medical research. "It's a very sensitive area ... but I'd hope people would consider donating," he said.

The donor's body is dissected to reveal bone and muscle structures, helping students to appreciate the finer points of anatomy.

This is still found to be more effective medical training than computer simulation.

Around 3,000 medical students gain this experience at the five medical colleges the Royal College of Surgeons, Trinity College, University College Dublin, National University of Ireland Galway and University College Cork.

Jason Last, a lecturer with the Department of Anatomy in UCD, says more donors' bodies are always needed.

Philomena McAteer, chief technician in Trinity College's anatomy department, said people donated their bodies for altruistic reasons.

She emphasised that donors' bodies were treated with great respect by the medical students. An annual remembrance ceremony is held for the relatives.

After a period of up to three years, the medical school returns the body to the family and pays for the funeral or cremation costs.

"We hold the donors in every high esteem because without them, we wouldn't be able to teach medicine," said Ms McAteer.