“Carl” spent a year teaching University of Utah medical student Elisha Bushman about the human body.
On Friday, Bushman was among the students and educators from the College of Health Sciences who honored those who donated their bodies to medical science at a memorial at the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Last year, 121 people donated their bodies to the medical school.
“I wouldn’t know half of what I know if it weren’t for him,” she said of the man whose body was donated to the school for science.
Ed Junkins, the school’s dean for diversity and community outreach said the donors “give the ultimate gift of human concern.”
“I can’t completely wrap my head around what your loved ones do for the cause of humanity,” Junkins told the families.
Program director Kerry Don Peterson says cadavers donated to the university provide educational opportunities for students and professionals and helps further medical research.
Peterson said most people make the decision to give their body to science while they are living. Each person’s reason for donating their body is different, he said.
“My mom was an environmentalist before it was sexy,” said Barbara Luke, who attend the memorial. “Just like the paper she used to tear up and bury in the back yard, her body was used and then turned around to be used again for medical research.”
Bodies are kept for three months to two years. The school provides cremation services and burial for the families of the deceased.
Peterson estimates that nearly 3,000 people are buried in one of three double-vaulted plots at the cemetery that are marked with a commemorative grave stone.
The names of many donors are inscribed on the Celebration of Life Monument at Library Square.
Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
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