Donating your body to science.

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I mean not planning to die anytime soon, but I think when I do die I would like to donate my body to science...I mean they can put it in a body farm to see how it decomposes in nature, run tests on it...whatever. Does anyone know how you set up a will to state you specifically want your corpse donated to science? I just want to write that in my potential will before I get old.....I don't want my corpse buried I'd take a viking funeral on a waterbound pyre, but don't think that kind of burial is legal so that aside I want to donate it to science when I die and ad that I prefer any kind of disposal aside from ground burial...would rather be fed to vultures.

But no seriously I am against ground burial until they start making biodegradable coffins and thus I want to write into my will that I should be cut up and fed to vultures or used for science but not put into a varnished godamn box that put toxins in the soil that is not how I want to be remembered...so I would rather donate it to science.

Is there any cash in it like selling your blood plasma?

Not for me, you have to weigh at least 100 pounds to donate blood, I usually weigh 95...from time to time I get up to 100 pounds but you have to be at least 110 pounds to donate blood at the closest place otherwise they worry they will deplete you too much. I have thought of it before but I can usually only get my weight up to 100 pounds so they wont accept me because I am too small and weigh 95 pounds. They need at leat 110 pounds otherwise it is a health risk of taking too much blood.

I realized I asked a dumb question because you said donate, which would rule out selling and getting cash. I would donate my body. They might want to study my wonky brain.

You only weigh 95lbs?
Holy crap! I weigh 180

I weigh about 125.

I would donate mine cuz I have ALOT of physical & mental disabilities including a very rare low vision disorder & I would like my body to be used for research that could end up helping other disableds.

I think I weigh about 265 but I gained alot of weight the last couple years due to binge eating & exercising less. I really need to break a habit & get back into a habit but it's hard to do. My ideal weight would be about 200 I think

It's funny, I have physical disabilities, but my body itself is fine. It's my neurology that keeps it from working right.

I would imagine that, like any bequest in a will, the main requirements will be...
- That there is no reasonable doubt that the request was made by you.
- That the request is phrased clearly (including if a lawyer has to pick it over!)
- That you are "sound of mind" enough to understand the consequences of what you are requesting.

I don't know that any of the above are specific legal requirements for a will (it will depend on the laws where you live), but having the above confirmed by an independent "responsible person" will make it much harder for your will to be challenged after your demise (for example, if surviving family members have different religious beliefs than you which require a consecrated burial.) A lawyer specialising in the field would be the ideal person to approach, but of course that could be expensive. However, a bit of research into your local laws might find a reasonable alternative for who could "witness" a will in order that your wishes will be respected.

Also, the health services where you live might offer a way to note your wishes by registering or carrying a card. For example, here in the UK, the health service promotes keeping a standardised "donor card" on your person so that, if you die in hospital, doctors can quickly establish whether your organs are available while they are still fresh enough to use for transplants.

I recall a few years ago coming across a website that offered a free cremation to anyone who wanted to donate their body for medical research. That certainly sounds like a good way to save your loved ones a bit of cash. The average cost for cremation is around $1,1000.

Funerals are so costly these days. It's like you can't even afford to die now. And being a cadaver at a science lab or med school is probably the only real job I'll ever get.