I recently read Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It's entertaining without being disrespectful. Cadavers really do lead interesting lives, from human anatomy labs to surgery and embalming practice; participating in decay experiments in the Body Farm at UT to being part of impact testing in labs to providing infomation about a crash. I thought it was most interesting to find out what they're not used for: ballistics testing. They use a gelatin material that doesn't spring back like human matter does. Plus, it's much easier to clean up the simulant.
     For the end, I agree with the author: The deceased may have indicated their wishes for their post-mortem adventures, but it really depends on what the living are comfortable with. So, friends and future partner, if you outlive me, give me back to nature ready for compsting in a cornstarch coffin. Should I outlive you all- to science I go, to teach others about medicine, since I can't stand much about the practice now without the threat of losing consciousness. Or my lunch.
     Reading this book did, however, spark an interest in going to see the business that goes on in morgue at the Funeral Home. Hopefully, passing out will be a reaction limited to seeing Dad work at the hospital, not Cynthia and Uncle G work in the morgue.