Memorial honors those who donated bodies to medicine

As mourners, we honor the memory of those who gave in life. But what should we do to honor those who gave of themselves after life?

How about holding another memorial service?

A non-denominational service was held yesterday at Washtenaw Memorial Park in Ann Arbor for those who offered their bodies to the University Hospitals as teaching and research aids.

The bodies of those honored this fall already have been used, cremated and returned to their families.

As Dean Mueller of the Medical School Anatomical Donations Program said, that amounts to a lot of ashes.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily Charles Carr of Detroit was among the mourners yesterday at the cadaver memorial site at Washtenaw Memorial Park. The service honored more than 250 people who donated their bodies to the University Hospitals to serve as teaching aids for Medical School studies.

"There were practically 250 adults and about 250 infant and premature babies donated to the hospital last year," Mueller said. "We've been fortunate."

The memorial, which Mueller helped organize, was attended by families of the deceased, Medical Center faculty and staff, and medical students.

But unlike the solemn services held for the dead the first time around, the atmosphere here was a bit more festive.

Pre-invocation hors d'oeuvres were so abundant that observers brought plates back to their seats brimming with cookies and cheese so as not to miss any of the service.

Only about half were dressed in dark, formal attire. In fact, one row under the large, white, two-posted tent was dominated by a contingent of Hoosiers donning bright red sweatshirts.

At times during the service, it was hard to hear the pastor over the gleeful shouts of toddlers.

But not everyone was so blasé about the event.

"A lot of us are still very sad," said Joseph Ferris, a relative of one of the deceased. "We take a lot of pride in the fact that our loss might be someone else's gain. This is an important day for us."

Medical School second-year student Samir Gupta said the abundance of donated cadavers reflects the community's willingness to support the Medical School.

"It's an incredible gift, really," Gupta said. "There's no other way to learn. It's fortunate that we still have a good relationship with our community, which trusts us to make good use of a tragedy."

The Medical School's Class of 2000, which enters its second year this Fall, was the recipient of this year's honored donatees.

Some of the students gave back, too. As a part of the memorial service, 16 Medical School students sang to the mourners in recognition of their passed loved ones' gift.

For many of the second-year students, this was the first time they were given a real glimpse into the personal lives of their dissection subjects.

"We weren't aware of who gave us the gift. The system is designed to keep them anonymous," Gupta said.

Some students said the cause of death is not made known to the students before they make their first dissection.

But Medical School second-year student Nelangi Pinot was quick to clear up the confusion.

"Actually, we learned (the cadaver's) cause of death at the beginning of the year, last year," she said. "But this puts everything straight in our minds."

Ultimately, it is the public at-large that benefits from the contributions.

"This research has saved millions of lives," Mueller said.

Those 18 years and older may be eligible to pledge donations of their cadavers to University Hospitals. For more information, call (313)764-4359 or e-mail Mueller at deanm@umich.edu.

09-17-97