The “willed body donor program” at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences sees the college utilize 30 to 40 cadavers in anatomy classes each year, with staff tasked with maintaining a list of identities, so the remains can be returned to the respective families.
“The program’s operating procedures were inconsistently followed and there was a lack of appropriate oversight of the program,” Anne Banner, a spokeswoman for the medical school, told the Washington Post.
In a statement on its website, med school dean Jeffrey S Akman said the person responsible for managing the donor program was “no longer employed by the university.”
He added the clerical procedures had been taken over by his office and the affected families are being notified.
“I was shocked,” Eileen Kostaris, who is waiting for her grandmother’s remains to be returned, told the newspaper. “I don’t even know what to say. I just couldn’t believe it. It’s horrible.”
“My 12-year-old son said to me, ‘Mom, you’ll never know — they could just hand you a bag of rocks and say here it is and you’ll never know for sure,'” Kostaris said. “And he’s right.”
Anyone who has seen the classic Mel Brooks film “Young Frankenstein” will know that mixing up the identities of cadaver parts can lead to horrible, yet hilarious results.
VT Editors is a General Posting account managed by Jim W. Dean and Gordon Duff. All content herein is owned and copyrighted by Jim W. Dean and Gordon Duff
Due to the nature of independent content, VT cannot guarantee content validity.
We ask you to Read Our Content Policy so a clear comprehension of VT's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news, opinion and media.
All content is owned by author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, other authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners or technicians. Some content may be satirical in nature. All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT.
About VT - Read Full Policy Notice - Comment Policy
