The training of doctors requires that human bodies and skeletons be available for students to experiment with. Admittedly, this is not a practice we like to think about, but it's necessary. For obvious reasons, most countries have passed laws attempting to control the practice and, by and large, these laws have worked.
However, there is money in bodies and bones. And where there is money there are those who seek the money whether or not laws are violated. One country that seems to have a problem controlling the export of skeletons is India. In this article Scott Carney has summarized a fair amount of research into the issue.
A nice, clean skeleton can fetch thousands of dollars; a skull with teeth is worth $1,200. And getting a complete skeleton can take months and months. There is demand for the product.
India is meeting that demand. They have been very active sellers of skeletons for over 100 years, although the practice has been barred since 1985. In fact, the Indians are considered the market leaders with the best products. In some years they have sold as many as 60,000 skulls and skeletons.
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