Navy Doctor, Brain Home Incident Showed 'Extremely Poor' Judgment

A pathologist working for the United States Navy has been assigned to desk duty after taking home the brain of a deceased Marine and letting his children hold the brain while his wife took photos. Cmdr. Mark Shelly has admitted to misconduct and paid a $2,500 fine.

According to reports, Shelly took home the brain of the deceased Marine while it was being transported to another facility. He told the Virginia Board of Medicine that he took the brain home after an autopsy and removed it from its jar so that his children could hold the brain. His wife took pictures before Shelly put it back in the jar and took it to its final destination.

Shelly wrote a letter to the board saying he used "extremely poor" judgment, and he was given a $2,500 fine, which he promptly paid. Once the military learned of the incident, he was removed from his position as regional medical examiner and placed in an administrative role.

"We strive to treat all of our patients, living and deceased, and their families, with the utmost dignity and respect," Capt. Dora Lockwood, a spokeswoman for the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery told USA Today.

The Navy, and Shelly, have both apologized to the family of the deceased. Shelly was cited for failing to tell the Navy that he had an outside, part-time job working for the Tidewater District of Virginia's medical examiner's office. He was fired from that position when news of the brain handling broke.

For now, Shelly will remain on active duty for the Navy, though in a much different capacity. "We cannot comment on personnel actions, but appropriate disciplinary action is being taken," Deborah Kallgren, spokeswoman for the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center said in a statement.

Shelly has been with the Navy since 1994.