A disturbing situation took place at the Anatomical Gift Association (AGA), a non-profit organization responsible for managing body donations for medical training across eight universities in the state.
The incident came to light when AGA employee Wheatley reported deplorable conditions and alleged mishandling of donated bodies, leading to a significant controversy.
Wheatley claimed that the organization’s facilities were in unsatisfactory condition, making the donated bodies unsuitable for use. According to him, an instance of retaliation for his concerns took place.
He found three of the donors’ severed heads placed next to his desk. This prompted Wheatley to file a police report and launch complaints.
Wheatley’s role involves overseeing the “rack room,” the holding space for bodies at AGA. He transports body parts between medical institutions and properly identifies them. He then makes sure that the parts are correctly embalmed, used for study, cremated, and finally returned to the families.
Additional concerns were raised in an email from Casey Tilden, the anatomy lab manager at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who complained about the deteriorating condition of the donated bodies. Issues ranged from bodies being infested with flies to bodies distorted to a degree that rendered them unusable.
Wheatley claimed that similar complaints had been made by other universities. He and his attorney, David Fish from Fish Potter Bolaños P.C., took further steps by filing complaints with several health and regulation departments, requesting an inquiry into AGA’s embalming techniques.
The primary goal of these complaints is not to instigate a lawsuit, but rather to prompt AGA to address and rectify the concerning conditions.
Fish expressed his deep concern over the reported situation, highlighting the need to honor the donors’ intentions of contributing to science.