Sheridan Nygaard
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And the body brokers stand to make somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000, typically around 5,800 for selling a whole cadaver. So picture this, your loved one has just passed. You can't afford a funeral. Somebody approaches you for a free way to have them cremated and you and also use some of their body for science. There is a contract that you sign. The contract is highly legal.
And the body brokers stand to make somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000, typically around 5,800 for selling a whole cadaver. So picture this, your loved one has just passed. You can't afford a funeral. Somebody approaches you for a free way to have them cremated and you and also use some of their body for science. There is a contract that you sign. The contract is highly legal.
It has a lot of jargon. It's very confusing. You sign it because you don't have a lot of other options. And then you find out later that your loved one's body was not used for actual medical research. It was used for research literally anywhere. The bodies could be sold to the military. It could be used...
It has a lot of jargon. It's very confusing. You sign it because you don't have a lot of other options. And then you find out later that your loved one's body was not used for actual medical research. It was used for research literally anywhere. The bodies could be sold to the military. It could be used...
by like research companies that are trying to understand like knee implants and how they would fit into bodies and things like this. So you really have no idea where your loved one is going after you have signed this contract. You're typically told that it will be used for research and education, but there's really little oversight and people that have done
by like research companies that are trying to understand like knee implants and how they would fit into bodies and things like this. So you really have no idea where your loved one is going after you have signed this contract. You're typically told that it will be used for research and education, but there's really little oversight and people that have done
exposés and a lot more research into this topic have found several instances where bodies are being exploited. One example is that a body was donated to Tulane University in 2004, where it was shipped to a broker who then passed this body to the army for landmine experiments. Now, for me, that happening to my loved one, that would just be devastating. That is truly a gross misuse of
exposés and a lot more research into this topic have found several instances where bodies are being exploited. One example is that a body was donated to Tulane University in 2004, where it was shipped to a broker who then passed this body to the army for landmine experiments. Now, for me, that happening to my loved one, that would just be devastating. That is truly a gross misuse of
exploitation of someone's grief and lack of resources. And this is unfortunately still going on. I know that that is in 2004, but there have been several instances. You can look them up. It's really concerning. But yeah, a lot of that came up in my research. But this, again, I would like to make it very clear, this is extremely different than organ donation.
exploitation of someone's grief and lack of resources. And this is unfortunately still going on. I know that that is in 2004, but there have been several instances. You can look them up. It's really concerning. But yeah, a lot of that came up in my research. But this, again, I would like to make it very clear, this is extremely different than organ donation.
And we have an entire episode on organ donation, which if you have any questions, go check that episode out, but it is entirely different. Please do try to keep them separate in your head. I know they sound similar, but that is a really important point that they are very different.
And we have an entire episode on organ donation, which if you have any questions, go check that episode out, but it is entirely different. Please do try to keep them separate in your head. I know they sound similar, but that is a really important point that they are very different.
I think Maddie wanted to skip her last thoughts. I just got that message.
I think Maddie wanted to skip her last thoughts. I just got that message.