For those who wish to donate their body to for the purpose of medical science and education, an Anatomical Bequest is made to University College Cork’s Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience. These donations are essential to their proper functioning as a medical and other health science schools.
The most important requirement is that the Donor themselves, MUST have completed the donation consent forms, without compromise, for the bequest to take effect. If a person dies and has not applied and been accepted into the UCC programme the college CANNOT accept the body.
On request the Department will dispatch the required forms to the donor, who organises to return one and the second is trusted to a responsible person, such as a relative, doctor, minister of religion or lawyer, who will get in touch with the college at the time of death. They will then take charge after any church service (if held), and ensure that the donor’s wishes are carried out. Upon death of the donor, the body is placed in a coffin in the normal way. If a church service is held, the body is taken to the church for the service and subsequently taken to the medical school.
If no church service is held, the body is brought directly to the medical school. The college cannot accept any donors whose organs have been donated, or who have undergone embalming or a post-mortem, or died of diseases of high infectivity, e.g., Creuzfeld Jacob Disease (CJD), Hepatitis and HIV.
The body usually remains with the college for a period of about two years. The burial or cremation is then arranged in accordance with the wishes of the donor. Next of kin are consulted about the time of burial or cremation, if they have requested beforehand that they wish to attend.
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