Donation Process

The overall time between arrival at OMI and being transferred to our lab can take anywhere from 3 months to 1 year depending on how many donors we currently have queued. The actual processing (see below) typically takes 1 month.

Due to the processing time, we typically have several donors stored at a time awaiting processing. The donors body is stored in a temperature-controlled environment at the Office of the Medical Investigator. Please note that any clothing remaining with the body will be disposed of upon processing.

Any personal effects will be noted and removed upon arrival at OMI and will be released to the Museum at a later date.

We use a process known as "wet maceration" to process our donor's bodies into skeletal remains. This process involves the manual removal of the soft tissue (muscles, organs, etc.), and then placing the bones into a large vat of water. This vat is heated to just below boiling to aid in the removal of residual soft tissue. Baking soda and tergazym (an enzymatic agent) are added to the water to assist with tissue removal and to maintain color. All soft tissue is cremated as "medical waste" (as would happen with surgically removed tissue, tumors, amputated limbs, etc.) We are unable to provide cremated remains to the Next of Kin at this time.

Once only the skeleton remains, the donor is transferred to the Laboratory of Human Osteology and additional cleaning occurs. Once the skeleton is fully cleaned, the donor is assigned a number to de-identify them. Each bone is labeled with this number and the skeleton is stored in a cardboard box.

After numbering, the skeletal remains are then inventoried and documented. Researchers are now permitted to conduct non-destructive research on the remains. Often, the skeletal remains will be used in teaching at UNM in anthropology, forensic, and medical courses.

We welcome the families and relatives of donors to come visit their loved ones. Please contact the lab if you are interested in arranging a visit.

Please note: we are an active lab. We will try our best to allow for privacy during our visit, but students and researchers may be present elsewhere in the lab.