Slowly and deliberately, 26 groups of four descended the steps of Weill Cornell Medical College's Uris Auditorium for the Gross Anatomy program's annual memorial service.
Among them was Laura Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick, a first-year medical student at Weill Cornell, unfolded a piece of paper, laid it on a wooden podium at the front of the auditorium and took a deep breath.
"Anatomy has been the most meaningful and formative academic experience of our first year," she shared in a soft, mourning voice to the audience who packed the room, as one of her classmates rested a bouquet of flowers on a nearby table. "We're privileged to have a lot of great teachers at Weill Cornell, but without a doubt, our body donor was one of our finest."
First-year medical student Marco Masci memorializes those who bequeathed their bodies to science at the annual Gross Anatomy Memorial Service. From left to right: Lisa Noble, Eleanor Woodward, Irina Dimitrove and Masci. All photos: Edward Gargano
Through stories and poems and personal reflections, Fitzpatrick and all of her fellow first-year medical students at Weill Cornell paid homage last week to the 40 men and women who chose to teach and inform even after death by bequeathing their bodies to the Gross Anatomy program.
During a two-hour memorial service punctuated by spiritual offerings and musical performances, these students honored the gifts these people and their families gave them.
"I can't help but think of how they, even after passing away, will positively affect countless other lives through their generosity and sacrifice," said student Sandeep Raj. "It is because of them that my colleagues and I are able to kindle the sparks of our interest in medicine and learn about the mysterious workings of human physiology and anatomy."
For many medical students, their first-year experiences in the anatomy lab are a turning point in their education, the moment at which concepts about science and medicine become reality.
"The study of anatomy is an important part of medical education and research," said Dr. Estomih Mtui, director of the gross anatomy and body visualization program at Weill Cornell. "The donations made through the anatomic gift program help advance health sciences and learning."
Textbook descriptions of anatomy become real during the 15-weeks in the lab as they learn from those who provided their bodies to science.
"Their generosity enabled them to contribute to the world even beyond their lives," said Noreen Shaikh, president of the class of 2016. "What a beautiful gesture it is to have your legacy live on by aiding the education of others. Not only has their contribution taught us the structures of the human body, enabling us to become better doctors, but it has also taught us the immortality of generosity."
But the enrichment these people have on medical education doesn't end at gross anatomy. A typical cadaver will provide a length of study of between 18 and 24 months, serving medical students as well as residents in a number of disciplines and medical subspecialties.
"Our goal at Weill Cornell is to instill the art of medicine, not just the scientific method in our students," said Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell. "Without the commitment from these generous people, we could not teach our next generation of physicians and scientists to cultivate their love of humanity and care of the whole person. We want our medical students to be not only agents of health, but also agents of hope."
Living donor Lulu Lanese, 89, wants that, too. That's why she decided to contribute her body to science two decades ago.
Lulu Lanese, left, Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, center, and Dr. Estomih Mtui at the annual Gross Anatomy Memorial Service.
"More than half a century ago, as a student of medicine, I had the chance to recognize the importance of anatomical donors for the interest of humanity," she said. "For me, the donor's gift is an integral organism, a gift of nature. It was an intuitive destiny call, visible only in my consciousness to become an anatomical donor myself, as a personal contribution to humanity."
Many of these contributors' families who attended the service were moved by the students' reflections and how their loved ones continued to touch lives even after death.
A woman named Dorothy memorialized her mother who was one of the people honored at the service. Dorothy's mother dreamt of being a doctor, like her mother before her, and was admitted to medical school in 1942. But then the world fell into war. She left medical school to start a family with her husband, a reserve officer, before he was called up for active duty.
"Before she died, she long ago decided that joining you in the anatomy lab would be her way of finally getting to medical school," Dorothy recounted. "And when we said goodbye to her, we thought of her as going to her last great adventure."
The 21 women and 19 men who bestowed upon medical students the priceless gift of their bodies came from all walks of life: a singer, psychiatrist, truck driver, urban planner, stock broker and accountant, just to name a few. Among them was Helen "Happy" Reichert, a 1925 graduate of Cornell University who died at the age of 109 as its oldest alumnus.
Reichert was a member of the first Girl Scout troop to sell World War I bonds outside the New York Public Library. She witnessed the ticker tape parade for Charles Lindberg after he made the first solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1927. She worked as a copywriter in the fashion industry, a TV talk show host and professor.
"There is one thing that she loved the most, which was to teach," said Joseph H. Villaluna, whose wife, Olive, was Reichert's longtime aide. "I think this reflects that love for teaching. In her final instructions to my wife when she passed away: First call my lawyer, call my doctor, call Weill Cornell to pick up my body and once I'm out of the building, call my family to tell them that I'm on my way back to school.
"This is where she wants to be. This is her home."