Corpse Abuse and the Body-Parts Market

Abstract

Although the overwhelming mass of the dead are accorded at least a modicum of respect and many are treated grandly, some corpses are abused, sold, or even cannibalized for parts. The scale and scope of corpse abuse is exacerbated by advancing medical technology that permits replacement of a growing number and variety of body parts with healthier younger or undamaged skin, bones, ligaments, limbs, and organs harvested from the living and the dead. “Corpse Abuse and the Body-Parts Market” is an examination of the growing link between corpse abuse and the financial attraction of the body-parts market.