The organs of 361 babies are stored at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, it was confirmed today.
They were removed without their parents' consent over a period of more than 50 years, according to Dr Claire Thornton, Northern Ireland's regional paediatric pathologist.
More than 150 of the 36l organs were removed more than 30 years ago. One dates to l944. The hospital has a list of names and all the organs have been properly catalogued, a spokeswoman said.
She added: "At the time the practice was not wrong. It was done with the best of intentions, primarily to find out why a child had died and to prevent similar complications for other members of their families."
But a system was now in place "to ensure that no organs can be removed without written permission, that parents fully understand the procedure and that the babies' bodies are treated with respect and dignity."
PA
