Bodies R Us: What Really Happens to Bodies Donated to Science?

Have you ever wondered what type of people donate their bodies to science? Or if body supply equals demand? Organ donation may be increasing but the numbers surrounding whole body donation remain vague. What happens to the bodies that do end up in labs? And what if there’s a shortage? One woman decided to find out.

Journalist Jackie Dent

For journalist Jackie Dent, what began as a casual conversation over Christmas drinks evolved into a quest for answers that inspired a book. She had always known her grandparents had donated their bodies to the University of Queensland, but didn’t really know what that meant.

So, when her parents’ neighbour said, “I've got this job at this surgical facility and you’ll probably find it interesting…” she decided it was time to find out.

It took me nearly three years into researching the book to actually see a dissection. It is a very, very hidden thing

Jackie Dent

Dent’s Walkley-longlisted book, The Great Dead Body Teachers, chronicles her journey to find answers, and with it, the little-known and fascinating history of whole body donation, medical training, and dissection.

A self-proclaimed “deathy person,” she joins hosts Anthony and Nadine in the studio to talk about this vital, niche, and somewhat secretive corner of medicine.

Grave Matters is an SBS Audio podcast about death, dying, and the people helping us do both better. Find it in your podcast app, such as the SBS Audio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or LiSTNR.

Links

Jackie Dent: The Great Dead Body Teachers (Ultimo Press)

Andreas Vesalius: De Humani Corporis Fabrica/Of the Structure of the Human Body (The Met) 

Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) and the books that made the father of anatomy (University of Cambridge) 

Body Worlds

Thomas W. Lacqueur: The Work of the Dead (Princeton University Press) 

Leonardo Da Vinci: Vitruvian Man (Brittanica)

Credits

Hosts: Anthony Levin and Nadine J. Cohen

Producer: Jeremy Wilmot

Writers: Anthony Levin and Nadine J. Cohen

Art and design: Karina Aslikyan

SBS team: Joel Supple, Max Gosford, Bernadette Phương Nam Nguyễn, and Philip Soliman

Guest: Jackie Dent @jackiedentwrites @jackiedentyay

Helplines If you'd like to speak to someone, you can reach a counsellor at Beyond Blue at any time, day or night, by calling 1300 22 4636 or visiting www.beyondblue.org.au. Also, Lifeline offers 24/7 crisis support on 13 11 14, and Embrace Multicultural Mental Health supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. In an emergency call 000.