AP> I have a cousin with a rare condition called Marfan's syndrome.  He
 AP> has been aked to leave his body to science.  Marfan's syndrom is where
 AP> the body attacks the connective tissues and breaks down the bonds
 AP> between practically
 AP> everything.

 AP> My cousin will be donating his body after death and has been told that
 AP> the study of the MRI's and etc that's already been done plus the
 AP> dissection of his body shortly after death will give science VOLUMES
 AP> of information on how to treat this awful condition.

 But I wonder how much they can actually learn after the body stops
functioning. So many conditions go unchecked or can't be determined
because the testing, for example isn't done when the condition is
actually actively manifesting. (That is the onset physicological
changes taper off after awhile.)

IE: I've been anemic most of my life and yet whenever I had my blood
tested the test would show normal.. well that's in a finger stick and
a tube drawn from the arm. Must have been that when I finally DID get
diagnosed was the right timing ...  OR it could be I was getting
enough iron but not absorbing it well. I found out by the way iron
absorption is lowered by the presence of other elements such as
calcium.

The condition you cite is similar to other auto immune conditions. :(
There's a common bond in there where the body's immune system attacks
itself; treats it's own cells as alien substances. :(

You know folks the term 'AIDS' isn't just the HIV virus variety.
Allergies to one's own tissues/hair whatever are auto immune too.

Seems to me it would take live tissue to find out what that common
flawed or rather dysfunctional mechanism is.


 > After the body functions cease much information is lost.

 AP> Obviously they wanted it or they would not ask for it .  I don't
 AP> think that anything will be lost in this case.

 Some info can be gleaned yes. SUch as the structure/physical
appearance of effected tissue. Knowing what it looks like can aid in
diagnostic screening. That's one help. Yeah.

 AP> Plus you have to remember that medical students practice surgery on
 AP> cadavers. I would rather them practice on someone who is already dead
 AP> than someone alive that they could kill.

 Yes they do. And good point!

 Aside: Have any of you read this? It scares me! I hope it's not too
common! An article in the paper cited how many surgeons found to have
been 'on drugs' while operating, are not dismissed from practice!

How's that for a legit reason to fear and loathe hospitals. I've read
elsewhere that the most frequent abusers of drugs like pain killers
are those in the professions where access is easiest.


 AP> There are many who benefit from these donations.

 I'm sure they do. Organ transplants for example. But there's another
side where some folks would rather go feed Nature and benefit the
other life forms on this human dominated human polluted planet.


c

... A bird in hand is safer than one overhead.

--- PPoint 3.01