The lack of respect shown to bodies is probably pervasive. There have been articles about it in the past, and it seems to be an issue in many universities around the world. Things like playing with body parts, making sexual comments, vulgar/inappropriate jokes, etc. A lot of that is probably because it is students dealing with cadavers, not people with more life experience.<p>That lack of respect can also stretch to parts belonging to patients who are alive. For example see the recent skull flap fiasco (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/us/atlanta-brain-surgery-skull-lawsuit.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/us/atlanta-brain-surgery-...</a>), where a patient’s skull was partially removed for an emergency surgery and then lost due to mishandling. That person had to deal with an artificial skull flap, which then got infected, and he had to go through repeated procedures as a result - all at <i>his</i> expense, despite it being the hospital’s fault for losing the part. Investigations showed that the hospital had a broader problem with respectfully handling and cataloging body parts.<p>Coming back to the linked article, the fact that bodies were cut up and sold without consent is not surprising when I connect the dots with these other situations. People in general lack basic dignity these days. I want to blame social media, but I don’t know if that is it. Although I am an atheist I do wonder if this is a vacuum left behind by religion? Or is it simply economic pressure to survive? Either way, I feel sad for family members who have to think about their loved ones being dismembered and sold.