After very little consideration on what I thought to be my only two choices in the matter, I had decided on cremation over burial. The deciding factor was an effort to not take up any more space and resources than I have already (plus movies make the spreading of my ashes look like cathartic fun for family and friends).
I have now changed my mind and will instead help further scientific research.
A friend, knowing my interests in what I suppose could be categorized under morbid, loaned me the book “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,” by Mary Roach.
Absolutely fascinating read, it brought to light the many options one has upon meeting up with the indisputably inevitable. For some reason I had overlooked donating my body to science as an option.
You could save the life of a patient by helping future surgeons study anatomy, or you could help solve a murder by assisting the ORNL study rates of decay, or you could become a crash-test-cadaver and come to the aid of everyone who will ride in a car after you have departed.
It baffles me that I could have easily died and become a costly burden without benefiting anyone or anything.
I know, I know, call me frugal.
Some institutions will even cremate your remains at their expense and give your ashes back to your loved ones… after the body has been studied of course.
They may use "tissue digestion" or "water reduction" as an alternative to cremating the remains, since it is more environmentally friendly.
Should I never achieve anything in life, make no considerable contribution to the progress of information or science, I can at least rest assured that my corpse will (unless I'm so unlucky that my body falls off the cadaver truck or something equally silly).
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