The University of South Alabama College of Medicine held its Anatomical Gifts Memorial Service on May 5, 2011.
Bodies donated to the USA Anatomical Gifts Program are used not only to train medical students learning anatomy, but also to train practicing physicians learning new medical procedures and to aid in physician research. The bodies are treated respectfully and professionally by students and physicians alike.
According to USA medical student Russell Stevens Terry Jr., the Anatomical Gifts Program contributes a critical component toward achieving the College of Medicine’s mission to educate and train outstanding physicians. “The program and its generous donors enable and empower our exceptional gross anatomy faculty to instruct students at a level of intricate detail and complexity that would be unachievable by other means.
“I felt incredibly uplifted after talking to the donors’ family members at the reception following the ceremony,” said Terry, who was one of the speakers at the memorial service. “Many of them told me how much more at peace they were with their loved ones’ fate and final decision to become an anatomical donor after listening to what I had to say, so that really meant a lot to me.”
During the service, Terry thanked family members of participants in the Anatomical Gifts Program. The following is a portion of his presentation.
First, on behalf of the students, I’d like to extend our thanks to all of you for being here with us today. This service is really something that we have been looking forward to since it allows us, kind of in our own way, to convey our gratitude and sincere appreciation for you and your loved ones’ generosity, which has contributed such a fundamental component to the foundation of our medical education.
So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
Now, when I reflect back upon my medical education thus far, I always think back to that very first day of Gross Anatomy Lab. It was quite an unforgettable experience because that was the day when we first met our donors.
I remember walking down to the lab that day for the very first time with my new set of scrubs and my new set of friends – with my study guides and lab atlases all ready to go. It was an exciting time. Gross anatomy! This is what I came here to do! I’m gonna love learning this stuff!
And then I remember awkwardly searching out and finding my group’s table and then pausing for a brief moment and becoming overwhelmed by the enormity and significance of the whole scenario.
Because for me – and I suspect for many others as well – this was our first experience dealing with death so up close, and personally.
I mean, since the time I’d been accepted to medical school I’d known in the back of my mind that this day would come……but I had no idea what to expect because I’d never really given any thought to what the actual moment would be like. But, it was very peaceful, very serene. It was dignified and genuine – emotional and professional. And above all, it was overwhelmingly profound.
So … days passed and turned into weeks, which all-too-quickly turned into months, as we slowly but surely grew into our new roles as medical students.
And as those initial intense emotions began to fade into the background, I found that I couldn’t help but to ponder the origins of this great, anonymous, benefactor of my education – this man to whom I owed such an enormous debt of gratitude.
What had been his occupation? What was his life’s work? Was he a doctor, a banker, a soldier, a teacher? How many lives did he have the chance to impact before he had the chance to impact mine?
What was he passionate about? Was he an outdoorsman? Or a college football fan? Did he love to cook? Or to read? Or to travel?
And who were the people that loved him? Was he a husband, a sibling, a parent, a grandparent? My heart wrenched for those who were undoubtedly left with holes in their lives after his passing.
Well, I never did find any answers to the questions I had about my donor – this man, who I will forever remember as my very first patient. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about him. I know, for instance, that he was altruistic. For at the heart of the decision to become an Anatomical Donor, there surely lies an utterly selfless concern for the welfare of others and of society. I also know that he was concerned about the future, for with his final earthly act…he chose to give unto us his physical body, so that we may in turn give unto others, as America’s future physicians.
Finally, I know that he would be pleased with the outcome of his decision to become an Anatomical Donor.
Because the lessons that we learn here, from your loved ones, are lessons that will be with us for the rest of our careers and the rest of our lives. We will use them to heal. Some of us will use them to teach.
And a few of us, no doubt inspired by your loved ones’ examples, will choose to become Anatomical Donors ourselves. And thus the lessons and influence inspired by their selflessness will continue to be propagated for generations to come.
For, as 19th century poet and Civil War general Albert Pike wrote, "What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; but what we have done for others and the world remains….and is immortal."
