Over the years, I have heard of several incredibly strange stories of people having had their organs cut out of their bodies while asleep, most likely sedated with some sort of an anaesthetic like ether or chloroform. It seems to be mostly a staple of fiction, but I was in fact wondering if there is a realistic basis for such stories. Are there any urban legends about this? (I’m sure that there are a couple) If such beliefs do in fact have a sound basis, what countries do these acts of visceral theft occur in? Is there a secret ring of organ pirates out there? In such acts, do the people behind them leave notes or any sort of a ransom for the subject after the act? What would make an individual prey for such people? What are the organs that are usually harvested (kidney’s, lungs, hearts, pancreas), and if so, are individuals killed for these organs and simply disposed of or left to die? Is there anyone with any sort of an experience of such an act, or an attempt at such an act?