Autopsy?

 Igros Moshe (YD II #151) Is it permitted to do an autopsy in order to understand the disease better for educational purposes. This is analyzed by the Nodeh BeYehudah and he ruled that it is prohibited unless there is a living person be treated now with the same condition for which the knowledge gained might be needed to be cured. I add that even if there is a possibility of finding a cure there is no elimination of the prohibition of autopsy since there is no obligation to learn about medical cures. In fact we don’t find that there is an obligation to learn the knowledge of medicine in order to be able to cure the sick, we are only obligated to save others with what is available. In other words if he is already a doctor he has an obligation to cure the sick. Similarly if he knows how to swim, he has an obligation to save a person drowning in a river but he has no obligation to learn how to swim or how to cure the sick. Also a person is not obligated to become rich in order to give charity and save lives in that manner.  The Nodah Beyehudah also says since the autopsy requires the consent of the family but that is not correct since desecration of the corpse is a prohibition that applies to everyone. The only significance of the family is they should be the first to be consulted just as they have the initial obligation for burial but if they don’t do it then the obligation is on everyone else. However in my opinion if no cutting of the corpse is done to open the throat or abdomen, but a needle is inserted to remove fluid for examination concerning the illnesss – that would not be considered desecration of the corpse since this is often done to the living and is clearly permitted. It would also be permitted to take some blood by needle for examination. It would also be permitted to take x rays or other scanning since it doesn’t cause desecration.