Texas medical school ordered to stop liquefying bodies after using them for training
The University of North Texas Health Science Center used alkaline hydrolysis, rather than cremation, to dispose of bodies after dissecting them for research and training.
This article is part of “Dealing the Dead,” a series investigating the use of unclaimed bodies for medical research.
State regulators have ordered a Texas medical school to immediately halt its practice of liquefying bodies after using them for training and research.
In a cease-and-desist letter sent Nov. 1 and obtained by NBC News, the Texas Funeral Service Commission said it discovered during an October inspection that the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth had been “unlawfully conducting final dispositions of human remains using alkaline hydrolysis.”
Alkaline hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, is heralded as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cremation. It uses water, chemicals and heat to rapidly break down a body, leaving behind a liquid that can be poured down the drain and a dry, ash-like residue that can be returned to relatives.
It’s also illegal in Texas, according to the Funeral Commission.
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