The body of CPI(M) leader Simon Britto, who had represented the Anglo Indian community in the Kerala Assembly, will be donated to the Government Medical College, Ernakulam, on Wednesday. “The body of the late leader is being brought to his residence at Vaduthala tonight (Tuesday). It will be kept at his home and at the Town Hall for the public to pay homage on Wednesday before being handed over to the medical college at 3 p.m.,” P. Rajeev, State secretariat member, CPI(M), said.

Britto, who died on Monday, had led his life on a wheelchair as a paraplegic after being a victim of violence on the Maharaja’s College campus.

Donation of cadavers

Donation of cadavers for study by medical students has been rare in the past, owing mainly to lack of awareness and cultural taboos. However, the situation now is better with medical colleges in the State receiving more cadavers than 10 years ago.

The Government Medical College, Ernakulam, has 20 cadavers now - most of them either pledged by the donors or brought by their kin heeding the wish of the donor.

In medical education, the proportion for cadaver to student is 1:10 -- a group of 10 medical students should be conducting their studies on one human body. But, that does not happen in many medical colleges, though the situation in government medical colleges is better. In Ernakulam, a group of 20 students studies one body, because of the shortage of cadavers. In other government medical colleges, there are about 30 to 40 human bodies at a time.

There was a time when cadavers for anatomical studies were really short, said Dr. M.B. Prasanna, head of anatomy department in the Government Medical College, Ernakulam.