<P> Body donation, anatomical donation, or body bequest is the donation of a whole body after death for research and education . Donated bodies are mostly used for medical education and research . They are used for gross anatomy, surgical anatomy and for furthering medical education . For years, only medical schools accepted bodies for donation, but now private programs also accept donors . Depending on the program's need for body donation, some programs accept donors with different specifications . </P> <P> Body donation is important for understanding the human body and for making advancements in science . There is usually no cost to donate a body to science; donation programs will often provide a stipend and / or cover the cost of cremation or burial once a donated cadaver has served its purpose and is returned to the family for interment . </P>

What happens to bodies after they are donated to science