Indian Transplant Newsletter Vol. V Issue NO.: 17/18 (Feb-Jun-Oct 2004)
Print ISSN 0972 - 1568

Murky dealings in California’s willed body Programme’’

Indian Transplant Newsletter.
Vol. V Issue NO.: 17/18 (Feb-Jun-Oct 2004)
Print ISSN 0972 - 1568
Print PDF


The willed body programme at the university of California (UCLA),los angeles,is in the doldrums. In addition to the longstanding grievances of families ,who donated bodies ,that the programme mishandled or did not return them properly ,what has now surfaced us a murky trade in donated bodies and body parts by the very people who oversee the willed body programme.Henry reid ,has been arrested on charge of suspicion of theft.A second person ,ernest nelson ,was arrested on charges of receiving stolen property .while families donate bodies for wholly altruistic reasons for teaching, research and ,of course,  transplants,  there exist a very lucrative black market for all the body parts that a single body can yield .some of these include skin for burn victims or cosmetic procedures,corneas,ligaments and heart valves for transplants.the money involved is tens of thousands of dollars for a body.this is not the first time that the willed body programme has come under fire .in 2000 ,the orange country register reported that the director of the willed body programme at the university of California ,Irvine ,had sold six spines from donated cadavers to a hospitals in phoenix.This ,despite laws prohibiting the sale of bodies and body parts.the need of the hour seems to be tighter regulation and control ,before people lose faith in the system.


To cite : Shroff S, Navin S. Murky dealings in California’s willed body Programme’’. Indian Transplant Newsletter Vol. V Issue NO.: 17/18 (Feb-Jun-Oct 2004).
Available at:
https://www.itnnews.co.in/indian-transplant-newsletter/issue17/18/MURKY-DEALINGS-IN-CALIFORNIAS-WILLED-BODY-PROGRAMME-776.htm

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