How to Donate Your Bones for Educational Purposes After Death - Orthopedics

Dr. Chen Xingyuan reply Orthopedics

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Dear Mr.
M:
After passing away, individuals may choose to donate their bodies to hospitals or medical schools for the purposes of anatomical dissection or research.
Once the anatomical dissection is completed, if there is an interest in donating bones for use as human bone specimens, it is advisable to consult with the anatomy department of the medical school to determine if there are individuals who can prepare them and whether there are any legal issues involved.
Attached is the regulation on anatomical dissection for your reference.
Sincerely,
Dr.
Chen
Regulation on Anatomical Dissection
Promulgated by Presidential Order on June 16, 1984
Article 1: This regulation applies to the dissection of bodies necessary for academic research.
Article 2: Public or registered private medical schools may conduct anatomical dissections.
The following medical schools, hospitals, or institutions may have pathologists conduct pathological examinations of bodies:
1.
Public or registered private medical schools or their affiliated hospitals.

2.
Public hospitals or private hospitals recognized as teaching hospitals.

3.
Medical or research institutions approved by the central health authority for pathological research.
Article 3: Anatomical dissections and pathological examinations may only be conducted on bodies that meet the following criteria:
1.
Bodies that require examination to determine the cause of death, with consent from their relatives.

2.
Bodies of individuals who had a legal will permitting their use for academic research.

3.
Bodies of individuals who had consent from their relatives for dissection.

4.
Bodies without relatives claiming them.

5.
Bodies that have been examined by a prosecutor and deemed unnecessary for investigation, with consent from relatives or without relatives claiming them.

6.
Bodies of inmates, with permission from the prison warden, that have no relatives claiming them or had a legal will or consent from relatives.

7.
Bodies that died from acute infectious diseases or suspected acute infectious diseases must undergo pathological examination, and relatives cannot refuse without just cause.
For bodies without relatives claiming them, the local police or health authorities must notify the body collection organization formed by the medical school in the area to be responsible for distributing the bodies to various medical schools and to announce this in the newspaper, allowing 25 days for claims.
If no relatives claim the body within one month from the date of the announcement, the medical school may proceed with the anatomical dissection.
Bodies that are proven to be decomposed and unsuitable for anatomical dissection or pathological examination shall not be handed over to local governments for burial, except in areas without body collection organizations.
Article 4: For the bodies mentioned in the previous article, except those delivered by the prosecutor, a report must be filled out immediately after collection and submitted to the relevant prosecutor.
The body report must be delivered to the prosecutor, and no embalming or dissection may occur until six hours have passed.
For bodies without relatives claiming them, procedures must still follow the regulations of the previous article, except for embalming.
After receiving the report, the prosecutor may, within six hours, issue a written prohibition against embalming or dissection.
Article 5: For bodies undergoing anatomical dissection or pathological examination, a portion of the body may be retained for academic research.
Pathological examinations must not alter the external appearance of the body without consent from relatives, except in the cases outlined in Article 3, clauses 1 and 7.
Article 6: If the cause of death is found to be a legally defined infectious disease, homicide, suicide, accidental death, or disaster during dissection, it must be reported to the relevant authority within 24 hours.
Article 7: Medical schools, hospitals, or institutions conducting anatomical dissections or pathological examinations must maintain records that include the following:
1.
Case number of the anatomical dissection or pathological examination.

2.
Name, date of birth, gender, place of origin, national identification number, date of death, address, occupation, and fingerprints of the deceased, and photographs if necessary.

3.
Death certificate number.

4.
Origin of the body.

5.
Reason for dissection or examination.

6.
Date of dissection.

7.
Diagnostic findings from the examination.

8.
Disposition of the body after dissection.

9.
Name of the person conducting the dissection.

If any of the information in clause 2 cannot be determined, it should be noted as "unknown."
Article 8: For bodies without relatives claiming them, the medical school, hospital, or institution conducting the dissection must ensure proper burial and marking.
Article 9: Medical schools, hospitals, or institutions conducting dissections must report to the relevant health authority by the end of January each year, detailing the bodies dissected in the previous year according to the records maintained in Article 7.
Article 10: This regulation shall take effect from the date of promulgation.

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Reply Date: 2002/11/13