When in doubt, it is best to consult your own pastor, priest or rabbi. By completing the Anatomical Donor Form before death, anyone over the age of 18 may donate his or her body. Most states consider donation of a body to a medical school for dissection to be its final legal disposition. However, the University requires relatives permission. More than 90 percent of the cadavers used by US Medical schools have been donated.
Every economic group is represented.
Some families have a tradition of leaving their bodies to science and some individuals leave their bodies to their alma mater. The most common reasons people give for donating their bodies to science are to aid medical science and teaching, and to show gratitude to the medical profession. Very few donate because they either lack relatives or cannot afford funeral expenses. There is no upper age limit for whole body donation, nor does amputation of limbs preclude acceptance. Extensive trauma to the body at the time of death, advanced decomposition, or extreme obesity would also make the remains unsuitable for anatomical study.