Anthony Greenstreet on donating his body to science

Anthony Greenstreet has chosen to donate his body to science. His daughter, Rosanna Greenstreet, examines the case for anatomical life after death

My father Anthony Greenstreet, who turns 90 this month, has never liked funerals and has long maintained that he is too old to attend them. So it came as little surprise when he told his family that he was donating his body to science so that he could avoid having one of his own. 

Dad lives in Surrey and has chosen the London Anatomy Office (LAO) to be the beneficiary of his earthly remains. The papers have been signed and witnessed by my mother, Anne, and – for the avoidance of doubt – Dad has written down his reasons and given copies to me and my two siblings. They are:

  • Hopefully, to make some contribution to medical training
  • To spare relatives the trouble of organising a funeral
  • To spare my estate the cost of a funeral (a ‘cheap’ one might cost at least £4,000)
  • To spare possible ‘mourners’ the trouble of attending a funeral (nothing is worse than having to go down the motorway to someone’s funeral!)
  • To avoid the hypocrisy of troubling the Anglican Church to participate in a service when I have attended so few other services since I left school
  • There is nothing that could be said or sung at a church funeral service which would reflect my views (such as they are) on life, death and fate. Anyone curious about my life can be sufficiently informed by my detailed and intimate diaries (currently 90 volumes)
  • To avoid anyone having to try to say something interesting or pleasant about a life distinguished only by its lack of significant distinction – or disgrace

This last point is typically self-effacing. Before he retired my father was a deputy director of the Engineering Employers’ Federation; but, if anyone asks, he says that he was just a “humble clerk”. His three children and nine grandchildren all adore him and I am sure that each could write 10 different ‘interesting’ and ‘pleasant’ things about him. 

But Dad will have none of it, preferring to focus on the nuts and bolts of his decision.

“I have sent my consent form to the London Anatomy Office and a copy is kept with my will. Then, when I croak, the process starts off,” he explains. “Of course, they may not accept my body – I may only have one leg or something by that time and they want more or less complete bodies. 

“At the moment though,” he adds with a smile, “I think I am the perfect specimen!”

The LAO coordinates the donation of bodies on behalf of seven teaching institutions, including Imperial College in Kensington and St George’s in Tooting, part of the University of London. It’s accountable to the London and South East Committee of Anatomists (LSECA), a non-profit organisation chaired by Dr Claire Smith, who has just published a work entitled The Silent Teacher: The Gift of Body Donation. The book aims to shed new light on body donation for anatomical examination after death and encourage more people to consider it.

“I think the climate has changed,” says Dr Smith, who is also Head of Anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. “We didn’t use to talk about what we did with bodies, but the public has a right to know more – and it should. 

“I find that people aren’t always aware of the option of body donation; they’ll just stumble upon it by chance. It’s vital to raise awareness so that there is enough human tissue to help train our doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals. In 2017, around 1,300 donated bodies were accepted by medical schools in the UK. If we can’t meet supply at home, bodies have to be imported from the States or animal material is used.”

When my father dies, we will telephone the LAO who will ascertain whether his body can be accepted. Reasons for non-acceptance include infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, some forms of dementia and the presence of gangrene or jaundice. In addition to medical exclusions, it is not possible to accept a donation if death occurs abroad or during the Christmas season, over Easter or on a bank holiday weekend, when the medical schools and the LAO are closed.

Assuming that Dad has passed away at a convenient time of year and is accepted, he will either be frozen or embalmed, depending on the kind of examination for which his body is destined. 

“It’s very much about local need,” says Dr Smith. “So if, for example, St George’s is running a course for surgeons and needs fresh tissue to practise or develop a procedure, we will freeze the body. But if the body is to be used in September for the new intake of medical students to learn about anatomy, how the body works and what it looks like in health and disease, then they will embalm the body so that it doesn’t decompose. 

“We are extremely mindful that we wouldn’t freeze a whole body and then let a knee surgeon just work on one knee. That would be a massive waste of an amazing resource. Instead we’d work out exactly how to get maximum use, so a group of knee surgeons might work on the body one day and some chest surgeons the next. It is also possible to refreeze a body a couple of times.” 

To donate your body, you must be over 17 and of sound mind. There is no upper age limit. 

“Our top record is 106 years old,” says Dr Smith. “We tend to get bodies that are 40 plus, as most people who donate have signed an organ donation card too and, if someone dies when they are younger, the organ donor service takes precedence.” 

Once finished with, Dad’s body will be sent for cremation and we can take possession of the ashes if we wish. There is also an annual memorial service in May to which families are invited.

“It is hosted at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, opposite the Imperial War Museum. Families can bring photos of their loved one to put at the front of the cathedral and it’s a lovely celebration. Our students write and read out poetry and messages of thanks to the donors. 

“It’s a time for families to get together and, after the service, many do something to celebrate that person’s life, whether it’s going down the pub for a pint or having a quiet cup of tea by the river.” 

My father has never been a pub person or a big drinker. His preferred tipple is tea – taken without milk, harking back to the days when he started his career as a “humble clerk” in India. So perhaps, when the time comes, we will sit around the kitchen table with a cuppa, open up those 90 diaries and really find out what made the old man tick!

For further details contact the Human Tissue Authority at hta.gov.uk

The Silent Teacher: The Gift of Body Donation is available to buy on Amazon or at anatomicallycorrect.co.uk

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