Anita Manning's auction house criticised for offering human remains

Anita Manning's auction house criticised for offering human remains3 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJonathan GeddesGlasgow and west reporterGreat Western AuctionHaving human remains up for auction was described as unethical by expertsA Glasgow auction house founded by TV presenter Anita Manning has been criticised for offering human remains for sale.Human bones, including a skull, were due to go under the hammer on Friday, but Great Western Auctions withdrew the item for sale after being contacted by BBC Scotland News.The auction was described by experts as being "unethical and unacceptable in any form", with the body parts likely to have originated in India or China and then sold overseas to be used in universities for study.The lot was valued at between £500-£800 and came in a box marked as belonging to an anatomy class at the University of Glasgow. More stories from Glasgow & West ScotlandMore stories from ScotlandIt is not illegal in the UK to sell or auction off human remains if they are more than 100 years old.However, the fact that many of the remains used in medical classes came from other countries and were likely not to have the consent of the deceased has prompted concerns.Dr Lauren McIntyre, of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology, said auction sales such as the one that had been planned for Glasgow were unacceptable.She told BBC Scotland News: "The buying and selling of human remains for commercial gain robs the deceased of their dignity, and is both unethical and unacceptable in any form. "Most medical and anatomical remains like the ones that were to go to auction in Glasgow are the product of 20th Century mass export from countries like India and China, rather than being from consenting donors. "The export of human skeletons from India was only banned in 1985 amid government fears of grave robbing and murder, although there is evidence that the trade continues. "T...