MarcO Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 UK Medics Took Thousands of Brains Without Consent By Gideon Long LONDON (Reuters) - British pathologists removed the brains from tens of thousands of human corpses over a period of 30 years without the permission of the victims' relatives, the government acknowledged on Monday. In a sinister reminder of scandals in the late 1990s, when hospitals were found to have secretly kept the hearts of dead children for research purposes, the government said the illicit removal of brains had been "widespread in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s." It said the true scale of the scandal would never be known because records from the 1970s were sketchy and many of the brains had been used for research or destroyed in the intervening years. But the government's Inspector of Anatomy, Jeremy Metters, told a news conference that of 30,000 brains in storage in 2000, when a major count of stored organs was carried out, more than half were probably taken without permission. "Between 50 and 70 percent of those were not taken by consent," he said. He made 34 recommendations to ensure the scandal is not repeated and said the removal of all organs without consent should be made a criminal offence. The scandal was brought to light by Elaine Isaacs, a widow from Manchester whose husband Cyril died in 1987 after suffering mental health problems. Medics took his brain for research without asking permission from his wife, who only found out about it three years ago while sifting through letters written by doctors at the time of her husband's death. Elaine Isaacs, still seething with anger at the way her husband's corpse was used, welcomed Metters' recommendations but said more should be done. "I've been very, very angry for the past three years -- even more than I was during the previous 13 years after my husband died," she told the news conference, during which she broke down in tears. "I still have a lot of questions that haven't been answered." Under current UK legislation, the organs of dead people can only be kept and used for research if their relatives give explicit consent. Metters found that in many cases, hospitals had not bothered to ask them. The British Medical Association (BMA) welcomed the report but said it should not be used to undermine organ donation. "The practice of taking organs without consent started at a time when medicine was far more paternalistic and doctors thought it was better that bereaved families did not have to make difficult decisions about organ donation," the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics Vivienne Nathanson said. "It is important to realize that the health service desperately needs organs for research." The case has drawn comparisons with the Bristol and Alder Hey scandals of 1999, when doctors in the southwest of England and Liverpool were found to have systematically stripped organs and other body parts from thousands of dead children without parental consent. 05/12/03 10:34 © Copyright Reuters Ltd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtube Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 not to get too much into this, BUT A family member of a dead person, who had something taken from them without permission, should consider if they would use / take the information gained by the unknown research, should they need it. I mean, the body is dead. research is needed in this world. Dead means forever. As the persons last legacy, why anyone wouldn't want to furthur mankind with their DEAD body is beyond me.... But it sure makes a news story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Booche: Let the record show, my body better be given to research/organ donation, BUT, I want a part of me to be burned, rolled in something smokeable and the rest of you sucka's to pass me around. You best be partying large that night!Actually, we're planning to fricassee your pasty white ass (with rosemary and garlic), and serve it up with some home-fries. We're expecting to feed a lot of people that night; viable leftovers will be given to stray dogs in the neighbourhood, table scraps collected, freeze-dried, powdered, and then smoked. (Wanted: Single-use "interesting lamp"...) Mmmmm....long pig... Aloha, Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 You're fuggin sick BradM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Booche: You're fuggin sick BradMDamn right. I mean, look at my circle of friends...some of those people should be locked up... And just remember: I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure my tent is right next to yours... Aloha, Brad, Bringing Fava Beans and a Nice Kee-ant-tee... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesehead Posted May 14, 2003 Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 Here here second tube. But also a here here to the violation. Some family members just can bear the idea of cutting up one of their relatives. No matter how beneficial it might be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted May 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2003 cheesehead - did your avatar give consent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcane Posted May 15, 2003 Report Share Posted May 15, 2003 quote:Originally posted by bradm: Damn right. I mean, look at my circle of friends...some of those people should be locked up...And at least one of them is a marvel of sanity that doesn't drink *enough*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooly Posted May 15, 2003 Report Share Posted May 15, 2003 very good point steve but its still a bit weird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted May 15, 2003 Report Share Posted May 15, 2003 While I agree with you ST, anything that one feels is done to them, without their consent will certainly feel violated. As selfish as they may seem, these people were not given a choice, and they deserved one at a difficult time in their lives. Let the record show, my body better be given to research/organ donation, BUT, I want a part of me to be burned, rolled in something smokeable and the rest of you sucka's to pass me around. You best be partying large that night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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