Organ Thieves Steal Alistair Cooke's Bones
The New York Times reports that New York District Attorney Charles J. Hynes has been investigating claims that funeral homes in New York have been selling flesh and bones. Among the bodies allegedly plundered count the late British broadcaster Alistair Cooke, known for his BBC radio essays and his work on the PBS television series Masterpiece Theater.
Portions of the late broadcaster's bones were taken before he was cremated and sold to companies that prepare tissue for transplant. Related paperwork misidentifies the cause of Cooke's death as heart attack. It was in fact metastatic lung cancer. The cancer had spread to his bones, making them a less than ideal source of transplant material. It's not yet know whether anyone received the pilfered tissue.
In Congressional testimony back in 2001, George F. Grob, Deputy Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspections at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, warned, "[t]he tissue banking industry has expanded and become more complex. Tissue is being put to new uses, and processing has grown more sophisticated. Entrepreneurial firms have stepped in to develop and market new products and treatments from human tissue. Unfortunately, standards of practice have not kept pace with this growth and development."
Grob went on to say that while regulations are being developed, "serious gaps remain." Those gaps can now be seen in cut-up corpses.
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