Body Donation Opinions and Practices in Forensic Anthropology

Abstract

Within forensic anthropology, skeletal donations are an indispensable resource for study and research. The creation, collection, and maintenance of skeletal materials have become integral to many anthropology programs, but no protocols specific to forensic anthropology have been established for the management and curation of a donor skeletal collection. Therefore, to assess the need for standardization of body donation in anthropology, two surveys were sent to the greater forensic anthropology community to investigate (a) opinions and (b) practices regarding body donation procedures and use of skeletal remains for teaching and research. There were 105 respondents to the Opinions survey and 36 respondents to the Practices survey. Results of the Opinions survey indicate most respondents agree with the use of donations for teaching and research, but there is disagreement on the ethicality of donation procurement, use, and disposition, especially in cases of unclaimed or unidentified remains. Results of the Practices survey demonstrate the variability in procurement, curation, and use of donors across different programs, including the types of donations accepted, disposition options, forms used for donations, information collected, reasons for not accepting donors, skeletonization practices for fleshed individuals, and the use and consent of donors in imaging, taphonomy, trauma, and other transformative research. Comparing these surveys reveals areas where body donation practices match the opinions of the forensic anthropology community and where improvement is needed. The results from both surveys were used to provide suggestions to aid in the creation of standardized protocols and best practices for body donation in forensic anthropology.