To ask for your help disposing of a skeleton?

[Madders45]

I have a skeleton that I acquired when I was studying medicine in the early 80s. Back then it was compulsory to have one.

It’s not a whole skeleton - it’s the skull, spine, pelvic bone + one side of the body. So only one arm and one leg.

It’s now been in my attic for decades, as I’ve never known what to do with it really.

Dh and I have recently retired and are emigrating - I obviously have to dispose of it somehow.

I tried to persuade my daughter to put it in her loft, but she thinks it’s too ‘creepy’.

So I’ve tried googling how to dispose of it - one website said that under the new Health Tissue Act the best thing to do is to offer it to a licensed medical school. I’ve emailed my alma mater and a few other local unis, but they’ve either not replied or declined it.

Does anyone have any ideas?

You need to contact the appropriate authorities in order that a legal and respectful disposal can be arranged.

Does the family of the person who the skeleton belonged to know that it was used for medical education?

Quite clearly from the posts, this is impossible to know

Did the person consent to it while they were alive?

See above answer

Are the human remains being treated with appropriate respect by being talked about on Mumsnet?

Err what? The OP is asking for (and receiving) sensible advice - she's not inviting half of the forum to her house to conduct a viewing party or offering to turn the tibia into a bone dildo for people.

Is it all from only one person?

You need to put it in a cupboard.

I’m sure there are medical student Facebook groups. Could you offer it there. That would possibly fulfill the requirement that it is used with in medical studies
I really do not think any bona fide medical groups would touch it with a bargepole without any paperwork.

Is it all from only one person?

I’ve always presumed so but I suppose I don’t know for sure.

Are the human remains being treated with appropriate respect by being talked about on Mumsnet?

Indeed. 'Sensible advice' does not include talk of freegle, chiropractor's window displays, or sending someone's remains to random strangers for the cost of postage.

You need to contact the appropriate authorities in order that a legal and respectful disposal can be arranged

Agreed.

Have you tried GKT medical school? Though I am currently ranting about them in another thread, the anatomy department is quite good. Can pm you the email of the right person to ask if any use?

That’s very kind. I’m in the NW, so I think I’ll contact nearer universities first, but if nothing comes of it I might take you up on that!

The OP is asking for (and receiving) sensible advice - she's not inviting half of the forum to her house to conduct a viewing party or offering to turn the tibia into a bone dildo for people.
Not being funny, the OP is in possession of human remains. She has no evidence of where she got them from. The most appropriate discussion could well be held in the interview room of a police station

Have you considered contacting your local coroner? They would be called in to deal with any bones found even if it seemed they were ancient relics.

Give it to your local secondary school

Contact your old medical school, and see if they can arrange for a new (appropriate, legal) home for a skeleton which has been correctly used for medical education.

(I am assuming you bought it from a proper supplier, and didn't source it yourself)

@Kethy

Dig it down in the ground, then pretend you stumbled across it and watch a murder mystery unfold....
I am kidding. Lots of sensible suggestions here.

'Sensible advice' does not include talk of freegle, chiropractor's window displays, or sending someone's remains to random strangers for the cost of postage.

Don’t worry - I’m not going to sell it to anyone.

I will contact some more universities, to see if it could continue to serve an educational purpose.

If nothing comes of that, I will contact the HTA and surrender it to them, as previous posters have suggested.

I now realise, thanks to the posters here, that no crematorium/burial ground will take it without any paperwork, so there’s no way I can personally give it a dignified burial.

www.hta.gov.uk/establishments

This webpage lists all the institutions holding a human tissue licence, and should give you the name of the designated individual (person responsible for compliance with the HTA) for your local institution.

Could you reply back to one of the universities asking for suggestions of what to do with it?

And also ask them for advice about cremation. They might take it off you to cremate as they will have cremations and funerals for people who donated their bodies to medical education.

Manchester University does.

I am assuming you bought it from a proper supplier, and didn't source it yourself

Of course. I’ll contact some of my old medical school friends who I presume got their skeletons from the same company, and see if any of them can remember the name or kept any paperwork relating to it.

I think it was organised through the university, although it was honestly so long ago that I remember very little about it.

I haven't read all through this but is this link any good?

www.themdu.com/guidance-and-advice/latest-updates-and-advice/skeletons-in-the-closet--disposing-of-human-skeletons-causes-medico-legal-concerns#

If you have a Mr Bones you need to thank him and send him for appropriate burial/disposal.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-34993642

You can’t cremate without paperwork. Else all the murderers would be turning up asking for their victims to be cremated

I'd phone your old medical
School and ask what the route is to dispose of it or it'd they want it back - perhaps speak to the head of anatomy - you never know they may really want it for educational purposes

That was an interesting story, Sugarina - it's nice that pupils at the school took part in giving their skeleton an appropriate send-off.

House of Lords?

Leave it in the loft.