20,000 brains taken without consent

AT least 20,000 brains were taken for research following post-mortems without the consent or knowledge of relatives, a new report revealed.

Dr Jeremy Metters, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Anatomy, who produced the Isaacs Report, said this number covered only those brains still held by hospitals and universities in England and many more could have been taken without permission and since destroyed. In one case, the report found a hospital mortician was paid £10 for each brain he provided for a research project.

The Retained Organs Commission has set up a helpline for relatives concerned that their loved ones’ brains or other organs could have been taken without consent. Dr Metters said there was a possibility that a brain could have been taken from anyone on whom a post-mortem was carried out by a hospital or coroner between 1961 and 1999. Yesterday’s report was sparked by the case of Cyril Isaacs, who committed suicide after suffering depression in 1987.