21 | 23.2.2012 | 3 months agoThough it’s harder to justify the use of a cadaver for practising nose jobs than it is for practising coronary bypasses, it is justifiable, nonetheless. Cosmetic surgery exists, for better or for worse, and it’s important for the sake of those who undergo it, that the surgeons who do it are able to do it well. Though perhaps there ought to be a box for people to check, or not check, on their body donor form: Okay to use me for cosmetic purposes*.
*I’m a believer in organ and tissue (bone, cartilage, skin) donation, but was startled to learn that donated skin that isn’t used for, say, grafting onto burn victims, may be processed and used cosmetically to plump up wrinkles and aggrandize penises. While I have no preconceived notions of the hereafter, I stand firm in my conviction that it should not take the form of someone else’s underpants.
From Ch. 1, “A Head is a Terrible Thing to Waste”, STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, on organ donation in regards to surgical purposes, and what people may not be aware of their bodies being used for.
