Old beliefs deal real body blow: Official

SHANGHAI: Health officials have blamed "deep-rooted Chinese traditional beliefs" for a shortfall in the number of people donating their bodies to medical research, potentially holding back scientific breakthroughs in several fields.

Since it became the first city in China to allow the practice in 1982, by the end of last year only 22,986 people in Shanghai had donated their body or cornea for medical use following their death, massively short of the current demand.

Around 700 bodies are needed for research by local hospitals and medical schools each year, but out of an average annual death rate of 100,000 only about 400 are donors, said the Shanghai Red Cross Society.