Originally published February 26 2006
Tissue transplants a source of bitter controversy
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Detroit News covers the latest developments in the tissue transplant industry, around which controversy and ethical dilemmas are popping up daily.
Wendy Kogut of Brooklyn said her sister, Danette, had asked to be cremated before she passed away from ovarian cancer at age 43 in February 2003.
So Kogut was shocked when she learned from New York City detectives four months ago that parts of her sister's body had been removed, without the family's knowledge, and sold to hospitals.
"I feel like I didn't do what she asked me."
And, while Kogut said she believes tissue transplants are beneficial, she raised questions about the industry.
In the last few years, the demand for bone and tissue transplants has grown: skin for wounds or burns; corneas to help prevent blindness; heart valves to repair heart defects; and parts of bone, cartilage and tendons used in hip replacements, knee replacements and ankle surgeries.
Robert Rigney, head of the American Association of Tissue Banks, said that in 2002, 12,000 square feet of skin was recovered and transplanted.
Two lawsuits filed in November against English Brothers Funeral Home in Brooklyn and a Fort Lee, N.J., tissue bank, Biomedical Tissue Services, allege the funeral home sold body parts from corpses without family consent to the company.
Biomedical Tissue Services then sold them to five companies, which in turn distributed them to hospitals.
The company was run by a former dentist, Michael Mastromarino, who had surrendered his dental license in 2000 because of drug abuse, according to his lawyer, Mario Gallucci of Staten Island.
Patricia Battisti of Franklin Square said she was considering suing Biomedical Tissue Services, her surgeons and North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, claiming she contracted syphilis after a bone graft during back surgery at Franklin Hospital Medical Center.
By comparison, the nonprofit New York Organ Donor Network, which is the central, federally designated organ and tissue procurement organization in the region, shows revenue of $17.5 million in its 2004 tax forms and its top officers earned half as much.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml