Staying at the institute: practical aspects

MORF

  • At the time of death, the body offered to Science is transferred to the anatomy laboratory. Depending on the work in progress in the laboratory and the priority research objectives, the body is either kept cold or embalmed.
  • When the body is dedicated to an advanced biomedical research project, often of immediate use to a patient (simulation of a new surgical procedure, for example), the work is carried out at cost, in conditions close to living conditions. The body is not embalmed and leaves the laboratory as soon as the work is completed. Its stay in the laboratory is then very short and may last only a few days to 1 or 2 weeks.
  • When, on the other hand, the body is dedicated to long-term research work or teaching missions, which is the most frequent case, it is preserved by embalming for several months or even several years. It then remains in the laboratory for about 18 months, sometimes longer, depending on the projects in progress and the number of bodies received.