Organ grinders

Remember that old urban legend about going to a party, getting drunk, then waking up in a bathtub full of ice and discovering your kidney is gone? Well in India, it's no joke. Authorities have broken up a ring in a New Delhi suburb where just such a racket was taking place. Apparently the mastermind, who seemingly has fled the country, and his partners in this crime were taking from the poor to give to the rich. According to the New York Times account:

Four doctors, 5 nurses, 20 paramedics, 3 private hospitals, 10 pathology clinics and 5 diagnostic centers were involved, said the police officer in charge of the investigation, Mohinder Lal.

More disturbing is that the doctors had a worldwide waiting list of 48 people waiting for kidneys, giving darker overtones to the idea of outsourcing. The government is looking at amending the National Organ Transplant Act to make it simpler and stiffen punishments. Let's hope so. When you get your next organ, be sure to ask where it came from.