Body Donation Program (Anatomical Gift Program)

The MUSC Anatomical Gift Program is conducted according to the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act adopted July 14, 2006, by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law and the American Bar Association, and by the South Carolina General Assembly on May 6, 2009, to enable individuals to donate their bodies to medical science.  At the Medical University of South Carolina, donated bodies are used for teaching students in various health programs such as medicine, dentistry, and allied health, as well as some advanced studies in later years of training and residency.

Who may donate?
The MUSC Anatomical Gift Program program requires a donor to be an individual of sound mind and 18 years of age or more. Donation may also be received from certain other individuals on behalf of a donor, including a spouse, adult children, parents, adult siblings, and holders of durable power of attorney as a healthcare guardian.

• Extreme obesity (body weight must be proportional to height)
• Amputations of upper or lower limbs (due to disease or trauma)
• Removal of organs (organ donors are not accepted, except those donating eyes only)
• Autopsy (requirement for autopsy supersedes donation of whole body)
• History of specific contagious diseases:  hepatitis, meningitis, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS
• Dementia from Creutzfeldt-Jakob virus (spongiform encephalitis)
• Any major trauma to the body (due to accident, suicide, etc.)

Becoming a donor
To obtain the necessary forms, potential donors are should contact the Program at the following address:

MUSC Anatomical Gift Program
Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology
173 Ashley Avenue - BSB 601
MSC 508
Charleston, SC 29425-5080

or you may email your request to giftofbody@musc.edu
or you may contact the Program by phone at (843) 792-3521

Forms also may be downloaded online AT THIS LINK. These forms are in Adobe Acrobat PDF files. You must print these forms, enter the information, and return the signed forms to the mail address indicated above.

The MUSC Anatomical Gift Program reserves the right to reject body donors at any time, in case of unforeseen circumstances (such as full capacity of our storage facility).  We have many participants in this program and are unable to accept all donors at the time of their death.  You should have alternate arrangements made to provide for care of your remains, should we be unable to accept your donation.  Donors may withdraw from the program at any time.

After completion of anatomical studies, the donor bodies are cremated and the ashes are interred at a local cemetery.  The Medical University of South Carolina does not automatically return the cremated remains of donors.  However, arrangements have been made with our local cremation center and the center will return the cremated remains to your designee for a fee of $600.  If you would like this to be done, please check this option on the donor form.  This will be recorded and information regarding this service will be sent to you.

Death Certificates
The MUSC Anatomical Gift Program prepares Death Certificates for the donors to our program. The Death Certificate is sent to the attending physician for signature, and then it is filed in the Bureau of Vital Records of the Department of Health and Environmental Services (DHEC) office in the county where death occurred. Copies of the Death Certificate, needed for legal and estate purposes, should be obtained by applying to that county office.
(Contact information at: http://www.scdhec.gov/administration/vr/locations.htm)

Information updated November 28, 2011