Yes you did not read the headlines wrongly.
Back in 2012, The Daily Mail uncovered a practice in China that has spread to countries such as South Korea, which piqued the interest of the authorities.
This atrocity plays off the mistaken belief that baby cells, when consumed will be able to rejuvenate and restore one’s body.
The pills looks harmless at first glance, a generic red and yellow pill that looks like it can belong in your grandmother’s pillbox. When you take a step closer, you will realise that something is amiss. The first thing to hit you will be the smell. These pills are promoted as being made recently. The particular batch found by The Daily Mail had pills made using infants 7 months old.
The rise of such a practice can be attributed to two factors:
- A bizarre notion dating back to China’s Ming dynasty has the idea that foetuses supposedly contain great healing properties that cure everything from aging to cancer.
- China, a country with a population over 1.3 billion possesses ‘dying rooms’ in hospitals where babies are left to die in order to avoid breaking the recently abolished one-child law. These dead babies are then ‘harvested’ and processed into pills that have a high street value.
The process to convert infants and foetuses into pills can be done in only 2 days.
China, in their efficiency has it down to a science. This ethically abominable act is done with clinical efficiency by pharmacists. The ‘raw materials’ are defrosted from storage, and cut into smaller pieces that are easier to handle. The next step has the material being dried out on absorbent paper overnight before it is microwaved at lower power over a long duration.
Once the flesh is dried out, the pharmacist chucks it all into a herbal grinder, where nails and hair can be seen in the mess. The product is that of a coarse, light brown powder, much like the consistency of human ashes after cremation. The packaging involves soluble capsules which are then distributed into bags for packing and eventual shipment out to be sold.
Despite scientific proof that pills are harmful, numerous customers hold great faith in the product. One woman interviewed bought a foetus on the black market to make her own tables, ‘I would get it raw, cut it, burn it and powder it’ and added that, ‘It’s widely known that it’s very good for you.’
What do you think of such an occurrence and trade appearing? Post your thoughts below.