preview

Kidney Thieves Anthropology

Decent Essays

Since 1991 one of many chilling tales, that has been told by various people in different areas of the world which is “Beware of the kidney thieves”. According to this urban legend, victims awake in immense pain in their lower back in a bathtub full of ice to discover that their kidneys have been removed. This urban legend warns travelers, such as business men or women, that “medically trained criminals are stealing kidneys”. They drug their victim at a bar or any sort of social gathering, remove their kidneys, leave them in an unfamiliar hotel in a bathtub full of ice and sell their kidney on the black market. Besides entertainment, this urban legend preys on our cultures tendency to blow things out of proportion. Although there have been similar …show more content…

It originally started in Europe and quickly traveled all around the world. In 1997 New Orleans had an outbreak, and it was believed that this urban legend was to be a real story. It is unknow why this urban legend started. In the article “The Kidney Thieves an Urban Legend” by David Emery states, “As the city geared up for its annual Mardi Gras festivities in January, a rumor began spreading via word-or-mouth, fax, and forward email to effect that a highly organized crime ring in New Orleans was carrying out plans to drug visiting tourists, surgically remove healthy kidneys from their bodies, and sell the organs on the black market.” As a result of this urban legend arising immensely, the local police department were receiving calls from many people claiming their kidneys were stolen. Authorities organized an investigation regarding these insane story, only to find no true evidence of this occurring. Even the National Kidney Foundation had repeatedly asked for alleged victims of this crime to validate their stories and come forward, but to this day no person has. This goes to show that there is no actual victim of this case. If there has it turns out to be a false story just to add onto the urban

Get Access