What kind of smoke?! Death – the mystifying master of non-discrimination; something that touches all of humanity in the most melancholic ways. Typically as a whole, instead of embracing our inevitable demise, society fears death. Society is what makes death “mystifying”. Despite the fear of the unknown, people often have questions about death – yet most people don’t like to talk about it, let alone be around it willingly. Furthermore, very few people actually pursue their questions and/or curiosities about death. Those who do are a rare few that we can’t help but question their choices sometimes. In her memoir, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory”, Caitlin Doughty recounts the early beginnings of her fascination of all things macabre, as well as career as a mortician with a lighthearted – yet dark – humorous view that somehow lifts the veil of death and what happens to “us” (i.e. our bodies) after death, as well as the practices of morticians and funeral homes. …show more content…
I believe that our bodies are one of the most fascinating specimens out there, from anywhere between the early stages of life and until well after death. Part of my fascination could be attributed to the fact that I was raised in a family that had its fair share of medical professionals, but I digress. During a pseudo-educational visit to the Mütter Museum – labeled as a “medical” museum, but it can be quite macabre for some – in Philadelphia this past summer, an equally morbidly curious friend that came along with me recommended that I read this book. Caitlin, the author, also has a YouTube channel that my friend raves about as well, and I figured “why not?” and purchased the book. Little did I know that I was about to embark on a strange journey with Miss Doughty, as well as read the best book I laid my hands on in
The Beauty of Bodysnatching written by Burch Druin is a fascinating biography of Astley Cooper, an English Surgeon, and Anatomist, who gained worldwide fame in support of his contribution to Vascular Surgery and a further area of expertise. The extract gives a reflective insight into Cooper’s contribution to study of Anatomy and medicine. Cooper enjoyed the job of body snatching, which helped him to conduct a series of discoveries that were important for the future study and understanding of Physiology. In the Romantic era, when prettiness or horror was a sensitive matter and extensive concern at that time many physicians discouraged surgery, but Cooper passionately practiced it.
As a natural phenomena that occurs frequently yet is still not completely understood, death has confounded and, to a certain degree, fascinated all of humanity. Since the dawn of our species, people have tried rationalize death by means of creating various religions and even attempted to conquer death, leading to great works of literature such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Cannibal Spell For King Unis.
Kahn was a writer and contribute editor of magazines for wired and national geographic. Stripped for parts appeared in wired in 2003. Kahn was awarded award in 2004 for a journalism fellowship from the American Academy of Neurology. She wrote this short essay describing how organs can be transplanted. The Stripped essay is an- eye opener. Though not many people tend to think of how a body should be maintained after death. Jennifer Kahn depicts a dramatic image for her audience. She uses the terminology “the dead man “though technically correct, the patient is brain dead, but his or her heart is still beating.
Galen, . (n.d.). On the Usefulness of the Body. (M. Tallmadge May, Trans.). N.p.: Cornell University Press. Retrieved March 25, 2014
begins to wonder exactly what happens when one is cremated. This mood of awe is
"Taboos and Social Stigma - Rituals, Body, Life, History, Time, Person, Human, Traditional Views of Death Give Way to New Perceptions." Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. Web. 31 Jan. 2011. .
Introduction: Mary Roach introduces herself ass a person who has her own perspective of death about cadavers. She explains the benefits of cadavers and why they could be used for scientific improvements. She acknowledges the negative perspectives of this ideology.
In the essay “On the Fear of Death” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross focuses on dying and the effects it has on children as well as those who are dying, while in Jessica Mitford’s “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” focuses more on the after fact when the deceased is being prepared of their last appearance. Both authors, point out that the current attitude toward death is to simply cover it up. A successful funeral is when the deceased looks “Lyf Lyk” in Mitford’s Essay, but in Kubler-Ross’ it is dying at a peace with oneself, no IVs attached. Both authors feel that the current views of death is dehumanizing. Mitford points this out with the allusion that the funeral parlors are a theatrical play, while Kubler-Ross comments “I think there are many reasons
Imagine yourself as a mortician, certified as an embalmer, retort operator, funeral director, and a funeral cosmetologist. You get a call late at night, there’s been a terrible accident and someone has died. You arrive at the hospital and are directed to a small room where the body of the deceased is being held. There’s blood all over the sheets as the doctor and coronary assistant zip up the body bag and inform you the body was badly mangled in a car accident, which is going to make reconstructing the deceased very difficult. Your assistant puts the body on the stretcher and loads it into the hearse while you talk to the wife of the deceased man. She tells you they plan to have a funeral so you give her your card and a reassuring word before leaving the hospital and driving back to the funeral home. Now your job begins, not only will you have to reconstruct this man’s disfigured body, but you must meet with the family, discuss funeral arrangements, and deal with the family’s emotional trauma that comes with losing a loved one. Although working in the funeral business can be emotionally draining, it’s a satisfying feeling to see mourning families able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Despite the fact that working so closely with the deceased can be chilling, Mortuary science can be a thrilling field to work in.
Death is the unavoidable end of life and for centuries people have been seeking for answers to unravel the mysteries of death. Nowadays, as medical treatments continue to advance, new cultural perceptions are formed surrounding one of the most intriguing topics, death. In the news article, “American Attitudes Towards Death: 12 Facts from New Pew Research Center Survey” by Yasmine Hafiz, she discusses the popular cultural perception of death and death related topics in America. A scholar article “Death, Dying, and the Dead in Popular Culture” by Keith F. Durkin will also be used to examine the scientific quality of Hafiz’s news article and to show the paradox of cultural perception of death in America.
Mate, G. (2003). When the Body Says No. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
“Throughout history, specific cultural contexts have always played a crucial role in how people perceived death. Different societies have held widely diverging views on the “breath of life” and on “how the soul left the body” at the time of death.”
It is inevitable that one day all people must die. Death can come when a person wants it to come, but most of the time death comes when a person least expects it. The views of death range from culture to culture. Some people believe that death is the end of their journey here on earth, while other people believe that death is just a necessary step in their journey of their body and soul. W. H Auden’s poem titled “Funeral Blues” and John Donne’s poem titled “Death be not proud” gives one insight into both of those views or beliefs. Both poems talk of death; however, the meaning of death between the two varies significantly.
I was very excited to take Death and Dying as a college level course. Firstly, because I have always had a huge interest in death, but it coincides with a fear surrounding it. I love the opportunity to write this paper because I can delve into my own experiences and beliefs around death and dying and perhaps really establish a clear personal perspective and how I can relate to others in a professional setting.
The human body is an exquisite masterpiece filled with incredibly complex and intricate systems. An award-winning author, Gavin Francis, successfully published Adventures in Human Being in 2015. It is a book that shares his experience as an emergency specialist, surgeon and a family physician. Dr. Gavin Francis’s book is a series of interesting stories about the way the body we all inhabit works. The author leads his readers to a journey through every part of the human body and covers different medical cases that highlights the greatest discoveries in the medical field. He even used references to art, culture and historical aspects of the organs that explores the complexity of the body and unravels life’s possibilities.