HW 52

Precis:

Cadaveric medicine, though perceived as disgusting is justifiable in some cases. Each culture is different and in some way each of us value different things in our culture that may not be seen as “normal”. Although cannibalism is not th proper way to dispose of a body there are many other options. Those other options may consist of cremation, burial, water edcution, composting and many other possibilities but it's up to the family to decide.

Quotes:

“Those of us who undertook the experiment pooled our money to purchase cadavers form the city morgue, choosing the bodies of persons who had died of violence- who had been freshly killed and were not diseased or senile. We lived on this cannibal diet for two months and everyone’s health improved” (Pg. 229).

“Of the thousands of instances of cannibalism throughout China’s history, the vast majority of the perpetrators were driven to act either by starvation or the desire to express hatred or exact revenge during war” (Pg 237).

“A sailor on the damaged and drifting schooner Sallie M. Steelman in 1878 described the flesh of one of the dead crewman as being “good as any beefsteak” he ever ate. Rivera- if we are to believe his anatomy lab tale- considered the legs, breasts, and breaded ribs of the female cadavers “delicacies”, and especially relished “women’s brains in vinaigrette” (Pg. 238).

"In the mid-1800s, it was widely (and wrongly) believed that buried, decomposing bodies gave off noxious gases which polluted the groundwater and made their way up through the dirt to form deadly, hovering graveyard "miasmas" that tainted the air and sickened those who wandered past" (Pg. 258).

"You only have to look at the story of cremation to appreciate that changing the way
America disposes of its dead is a feat not easily accomplished" (Pg. 258).

Analysis:

We can relate to some of the claims stated in the book such as donating blood which in a way can be thought of as a form of cannibalism. Some of the ideas presented in the book were interesting because I never knew about cadavers being used as tests for surgical procedures. I think the issue of consent is important because I do believe that if people were allowed the opportunity to consent to having their bodies used in medical hospitals, the people that work in those hospitals will not feel guilty and stoic about having to work with cadavers. Although many people, including myself, believe that cadaveric medicine id disgusting it became a way of life for some people that were lacking food. It makes me wonder what I would do for some food if food supplies were scarce. Would I kill and eat humans if there was no other way to survive? Although I can say no positively I am not sure that if I were in that situation I would hold to that position. There are many different types of burials that exist but that I had never thought about before. This makes me want to do some more research about the least expensive forms of burial and what plans I need to make to make sure this plan lasts.