Body donation

As a body donation, a donor bequeathed his body an anatomical institute for teaching and research purposes, or even for Plastination. Motif of a body donation can be to promote scientific education of medical students in the dissection or to relieve survivors financially.

Earlier, the Institute took over the funeral expenses, in whole or in part. Since the abolition of the statutory death benefit ( applied only to Germany ) in January 2004, the body must regulate the donor funeral expenses in advance of itself, for example by

• A death benefit insurance
• System of a passbook in favor of the University or
• A testamentary bequest available

This amount may be covered by the university, the costs occurring later (transportation, cremation, cemetery fees, etc.). If the funding is not secured at the time of death, the University may decline to body donation.

Method

Anyone who wants to donate his body must enter into an agreement with an appropriate institution during his lifetime. This Agreement may be reversed in general at the request of the donor, which may be a fee. Survivors can share without consent for body donation, neither the agreement nor revoke a deceased loved one. Assuring Institute learns not automatically by the death of the body donor. Therefore, body donors is recommended to communicate its decision to the families. In Austria also applies the rules that members must agree to the Body Donation.

Conditions

Deceased are usually not accepted in spite of completed agreement,

• If they have severe personal injury
• If they had a highly infectious disease (corresponding to the Infection Protection Act )
• When they were autopsied court medical or pathological

In Austria, this disqualification shall not apply.

Other conditions differ depending on the advantaged Institute. The following points must be ensured, for example:

• Costs
• Can the body donors at the same time be an organ donor?
• How far away the cost of the transfer of the body are taken?
• What happens if the body is not accepted? If already reimbursed costs paid posts?
• Committed to the institution - if all conditions are met - to take over the body and incurred funeral expenses?
• What happens to the remains after completion of the work?

Some institutions accept only donors above a certain age.

Examples

The Medical University of Vienna took in some years due to excess supply temporarily no new arrangements for donations to the body. After that, a fee was introduced in 2006 in the amount of 400 euros. 2011, the fee EUR 450 This amount is to be paid upon completion of the agreement.

At the Vienna Central Cemetery is held once a year just before the feast of All Saints, a memorial service for deceased body donors and there is a memorial grave stone and recently a Urnenhain can hold devotion to the relatives of body donors.