I started reading this book with some trepidation. A family member with whom I was vacationing last Fall was in the midst of reading this book and said it was quite intriguing. Then my parents were starting to peruse cemetaries and various plots knowing they need to make arrangements soon because they are now on the down side of 50. And with amazement I learned that a good percentage of my extended family and friends had already committed to cremation following their deaths. The whole burning body concept horrifies me, but not enough to keep me from reading this book. Amazingly, I felt like this book was equivalent to taking a class on how to be a mortician.
The fortunate part for the reader of Stiff is that the author keeps the narration light and humorous given her less than appealing subject matter. If you wish to gain the following insights which I have listed below, then do would do well to read this book.
1) If you wish to know what happens to cadavers should you decide to donate your body to science.
2) The history of body snatching and utilizing cadavers for medical experiments.
3) The use of ill-fated criminal cadavers for medical research.
4) The process of human decomposition.
5) The process of embalming a body and how a mortician prepares a body for a funeral or viewing.
6) The use of cadavers in crash tests to improve vehicle safety.
7) How the bodies of plane passengers can reveal the story of how a plane crashed should a black box not be located.
8) The use of human cadavers to improve safety gear for the military and as instruments to determine if and when a weapon will stop enemy encroachment.
9) The debate concerning when a person is officially dead and just when does a soul leave a body.
10) The process and perils of cremation.
11) What exactly happens when a person dies and has opted to donate their organs.
12) The new ecological burial system being advocated by many Swedes.
13) The author's decision-making process regarding whether to donate her body to science.
No comments:
Post a Comment