Dozens of autism brains at Harvard hospital found rotting after freezer failure

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: autism, brains, Harvard

(NaturalNews) The autism research industry experienced a major loss recently after it was discovered that a freezer at the Harvard University-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., had failed. According to reports, one-third of "the world's largest collection of autism brain samples" that were being stored in the freezer perished as a result of the malfunction, potentially setting back autism research by as much as a decade.

McLean had been collecting the brains of deceased children and adults with autism for the purpose of studying how material changes in brain tissue may be associated with autism. Hospital staff had been storing these brains in a unit known as "Freezer U," which was equipped with an external thermostat and two separate alarm systems that were programmed to set off in the event that internal temperatures went awry.

But the freezer, which hospital staff reportedly checked twice daily to ensure that it was functioning properly, somehow malfunctioned in late May. Internal temperatures were found to have risen from minus-80 degrees Celsius to around 7 degrees Celsius, or roughly the temperature of an average refrigerator. As a result, 52 of the 150 brains samples contained in the freezer -- not all of the 150 brains were from individuals with autism -- were compromised,

According to reports, there are 52 remaining brains that are still usable. However, many of the samples used in various studies over the years on autism, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and certain psychiatric conditions were lost to the failure, which means several years' worth of research has likely been lost.

Was the autism brain freezer sabotaged?

There are currently two internal investigations underway, one of which is being conducted by Dr. Francine Benes, Director of the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (HBTRC), who suspects that foul play may have been involved in the freezer failure. It is highly suspicious, after all, that two separate alarm systems and an external thermometer all malfunctioned at precisely the same time, resulting in the catastrophic loss.

However, the loss is also a potential benefit to the autism research community as it further extends the timeline for discovering the causes of autism. Since mainstream science will likely never capitulate that vaccines, crop chemicals, food additives, and other common toxins play any role whatsoever in causing autism, deconstructing human brains as part of indefinite research into autism's mysterious causes will remain a convenient way for researchers to keep busy and secure ongoing funding.

It may sound like a wacky conspiracy theory, but it is essentially the same thing the multi-billion dollar cancer industry is doing. There are many known causes of cancer, as we all know, as well as numerous ways to prevent cancer. But the cancer industry will never admit the simple and honest truth because then it would quickly collapse.

So just like with cancer, autism research will likely continue indefinitely for many years to come, with no real answers or solutions to the condition ever actually emerging. And sadly, the case of the rotted brains will only further legitimize the need for researchers to at the very least make up for the research that was lost, as well as continue moving forward with a "search for the cause."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.cbsnews.com

http://articles.boston.com

http://articles.nydailynews.com