Hazel Mollison: We should all be minded to donate our brains or bodies

Published on Wednesday 14 October 2009 10:15

DONATING to charity usually involves giving our spare change or handing over unwanted clothes to the nearest Oxfam shop.

The most committed among us sign up to have regular donations docked from our pay packet.

In those sombre moments when we contemplate meeting our maker, many of us make a much bigger gesture. Millions leave substantial sums to charity every year, with bequests providing many charities with their lifeblood.

For a relatively small number of people – broadcaster Jeremy Paxman and actress Jane Asher among them – that final act of giving is much more personal, though.

Along with thousands of others, they have signed up to donate their brain or body to science after their death.

It is a difficult subject to think about and one which many would prefer to ignore, but the decision of former home secretary David Blunkett to leave his brain to medical research has highlighted the growing need for such donations.

Thousands of medical students rely each year on donated human bodies for a vital part of their training.

Surgeons practise procedures on body parts before working on live patients, while human tissue, including brains and spinal cords, are vital for groundbreaking research into conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

However, a recent change to the law – requiring written consent from the deceased rather than simply the say so of the family – has seen such donations fall, and charities say a critical shortage of donated brains is resulting in major delays to finding new treatments and cures.

One of the problems is that, while most people have heard of the organ donor register, far fewer even consider leaving their bodies to medical science. A recent survey by the Alzheimer's Research Trust found that only 31 per cent of people were aware of brain donation after death. This compares to 86 per cent who are aware of heart donations for transplant and 72 per cent who know they could leave their whole body for research.

It is also less straightforward than simply signing a register. People must contact a medical school or charity directly, and there are several different "brain banks" to choose from.

Dr Gordon Findlater, an anatomy expert at Edinburgh University, says body donations are more vital than ever.

He said: "When I started in the 1980s, we'd get about 60 bodies a year. Now we struggle to get 25 a year.

"It's not entirely clear where the problem might lie. One factor is that people aren't aware of the change in the law. There are a lot of people who are blissfully ignorant we can't accept their body unless it's written down. I've had to say no to several families, which is disappointing for us and for them."

He said the controversial Body Worlds exhibition, by German scientist Gunther Van Hayes, had put some people off donation, as they mistakenly believed they might be put on public display. Although this is forbidden under the Human Tissue Act, Dr Findlater says it nevertheless led to two families withdrawing a bequest.

Despite advances in computer technology, he said that dissecting human bodies was still an "absolutely essential" part of a medical student's training.

He said: "It's almost a rite of passage for medical students to have exposure to a body.

"You can look at all the sophisticated software there is, but there's still the psychological aspect to dealing with a real body. I think people have a natural fascination with the human body, and you can't replace that experience.

"We are very strict on the ethics of using bodies and treating them with respect. We have an annual memorial service where families have a chance to meet the students. One of the principle aims is to bring across to the families how grateful we are."

Research using human body parts is still at a relatively early stage, since it was only permitted by a change in the Anatomy Act three years ago. Now Edinburgh University researchers have used bodies for studying scoliosis of the spine, and practising procedures for removing tumours. Orthopaedic surgeons are also keen to study bones to look at how they heal.

Although they are only allowed to retain the complete body for three years, the medical school can keep some parts, such as an arm or a heart. The remains are usually cremated, although they can be returned to the family for a funeral if requested.

There is also a growing need for brains, spinal cords and other human tissue for research. At present several charities run separate "brain banks", although the Medical Research Council is aiming to create a network to make them more easily accessible.

Mr Blunkett has chosen to give his to the Alzheimer's Research Trust as part of its Brains for Dementia appeal. This charity is not yet able to accept donations from Scotland, as all its research centres are south of the Border, but Scots can leave their brains to the Parkinson's Disease Society, which is currently running a campaign to increase donors. It hopes to double the number to 2,000 by the end of the year, and 50 MSPs are supporting the campaign.

Research using donated brain tissue has already led to major medical breakthroughs, including the development of anti-Parkinson's drugs to control symptoms. One donated brain can be used for as many as 50 projects.

Of course, nobody likes to think about their own death, but donating your brain or body is a generous way of helping others and creating a lasting legacy.