Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

WhiteTara

(29,676 posts)
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 08:01 PM Mar 2016

Michigan woman pleads guilty to trading diseased body parts

http://news.yahoo.com/michigan-woman-pleads-guilty-trading-diseased-body-parts-222742978.html

(Reuters) - A Michigan woman pleaded guilty on Monday to a scheme in which she and her husband used their medical cadaver business to sell infected body parts to unwitting medical and dental students, prosecutors said.

Elizabeth Rathburn, 56, of the Detroit suburb of Grosse Point Park admitted selling human remains she claimed were disease-free, but which had tested positive for HIV and Hepatitis B, the U.S. Attorney's Office in eastern Michigan said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Rathburn and her husband, Arthur Rathburn, ran a company called International Biological, Inc. that would sell or rent human remains to medical and dental students.

Prosecutors said the couple would purchase diseased specimens from suppliers at a discount and misrepresent the remains to maximize profit, defrauding customers and exposing them to infection.
9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Michigan woman pleads guilty to trading diseased body parts (Original Post) WhiteTara Mar 2016 OP
The American Dream. So they used the Wall Street template to make money. Rex Mar 2016 #1
+1 KT2000 Mar 2016 #2
How do you rent a body part? giftedgirl77 Mar 2016 #3
Thank you JustAnotherGen Mar 2016 #4
Please see my ad on Craigslist's Personals section. . . nt Codeine Mar 2016 #5
Lulz. giftedgirl77 Mar 2016 #6
Where does one obtain body parts in the first place? Diseased or not? Vinca Mar 2016 #7
Modern day version of grave robbers notadmblnd Mar 2016 #8
From specialized medical supply houses. LeftyMom Mar 2016 #9
 

Rex

(65,616 posts)
1. The American Dream. So they used the Wall Street template to make money.
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 08:03 PM
Mar 2016

Evil kinda sounds mild compared to what they did. Need a stronger word.

Vinca

(50,168 posts)
7. Where does one obtain body parts in the first place? Diseased or not?
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 08:40 PM
Mar 2016

This surely falls into the category of anything for a buck.

LeftyMom

(49,212 posts)
9. From specialized medical supply houses.
Tue Mar 22, 2016, 09:26 PM
Mar 2016

How do you think surgeons practice new techniques? You want to learn how to do a procedure, you go to a continuing education class where there's a room full of the required bit set up on trays, and you learn to do the procedure in a class taught by an expert. So if you're learning a knee surgery there won't be a room full of corpses, there will be a room full of knees.

It keeps costs down and makes for more uses of donated bodies than keeping them intact. There's a pretty great documentary about this (IMO it's pretty even handed) but you'll probably need to use a VPN (I use hola.org) to see it because it's on the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02sr293

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Michigan woman pleads gui...