Death in Silicon
Being somewhat fascinated with death, I found this exhibit at the California Science Center interesting. A link on NPR.org offers a photo gallery for the curious, but the jist is this: Human bodies, preserved through a new process called “plastination” are arranged in various lifelike poses, exposing bits relevant to the staged activity.Body Worlds is the creation of Gunther von Hagens the inventor of the plastination technique of preserving anotomical specimens with reactive polymers.
I can’t help but recall a conversation with NonProphet many years ago when we were discussing whether we would choose burial or cremation. I suggested that cremation might be preferable, when he blurted out: “I want to rot! I want my body to look gross!”.
I wonder if he might consider plastination as a possible alternative route toward that end.
Comment posted on 7-27-2004
Death in the court room…to address your interest in death, these are actual court room Q&A’s between lawyers and witnesses regarding death, or rather dead bodies.
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy.
__________________________________________
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you started the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere
Comment posted on 7-27-2004
I love it! I had no idea I was headed into a lawyer joke.