Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives Of Human Cadaver

Since that time donation has been the only way to increase the current supply of transplantable organs. Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of organ donation due to misconceptions and lack of knowledge. In fact, organ transplant recipient Dr. Phil H. Berry, Jr. points out that there would be less deaths of people waiting for transplants, “if Americans would overcome their reluctance to become organ donors” (29). Organ donation whether it is upon your death or giving a part of a liver or one kidney while you are alive is a charitable gesture towards your fellow man and could give meaning to the end of your life. The mere act of donating could bring more peace to your loved ones at the time of your death and as a result, you could give

After reading, The Embalming of Mr. Jones by Jessica Mitford, I was in shock about the whole process that happens hour after death. Previously, when I heard about embalming I thought they basically just cleaned the body up and dressed them up for the casket showing, but now that I know what actually happens I’m a little grossed out. The body shouldn’t be changed so much because you want to see them as you last remember not reconstructed due to the embalming. While the bodies are deceased, I can't help but wonder if they are feeling all of this happening. I feel bad for Mr. Jones and others who have been through the process. I can’t even imagine what it is like for the embalmer, and how they can go through with it.

You’ve probably heard the old saying. “Only two things in life are certain: death and taxes” It’s true: at some point, we all will die. Although you may think death is an unpleasant subject, it is something that everybody must cope with. People are different all over the world, but death is one thing that everyone has in common. ( Stair, choosing a career in mortuary science and the funeral industry 6)

Another reason why organ donation should be mandatory is to encourage medical and scientific breakthroughs. The Center for Organ Recovery and Education states that, “Research centers all around the United States are always in need of donated organs and tissues.” These donated organs and tissues can help cure diseases such as: Cancer, Asthma, Hepatitis, Diabetes, Neurological diseases, and more. (CORE) In addition, connectusfund.org states, “Medical schools are always in need of cadavers that students can work on during their training period.” Despite beliefs to the contrary, uwhealth.org, a website for the health program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, states that even if your organ isn’t viable for transplantation, it can still be used for research, including being used for medical schools as cadavers. These irrefutable pieces of evidence are yet another reason why organ donation should be mandatory in the United States.

I never knew that cadavers could be used so many ways to benefit people. In the book, cadavers could be used as compost, art, test dummies, and seeing the different stages of decomposition. The most surprising use I found was that cadavers were used as art. The use of cadavers as art surprised me more than all of the rest because it is disturbing and offers no real benefit to others, and yet it appears to be a popular exhibit that is visited by millions. Even though the ways that cadavers are being used in research and other areas surprised me, I still feel that they serve a greater good that can benefit

Dead?" AlterNet. In this article, Frankie Colmane looks into how dead bodies are treated in the United State even after Mitford's expose of the funeral industry was published. The article takes both a philosophical and scientific issue with the procedure of embalming sighting proven negative effects to human beings and the environment. Colmane shows that even though people are aware of the malfeasance and misappropriations of the funeral industry following pieces like Mitford's, very little has changed. Therefore problems that have been discussed in earlier works should not be forgotten. Rather they should be continually brought up until the issue is solved. During the 1800s, embalming became common practice because the dead family member would lie in state within the home for a period of days or weeks until it would be buried (Colmane 2010). The article shows the duplicity such as when "funeral directors were arguing forcefully against charges that their mediation between the living and the dead translated into social obstruction that barred the stricken from facing death with maturity, realism, and honest" (page 2). This article will be used to illustrate that things have not changed with funereal practices despite the publication of Mitford's essay.

The book even states that places are actually able to turn away cadavers and be picky with their choices. This alone proves that we have come a long way from the times of cadaver shortages and body snatching. People formerly believed that it was a negative thing to be a cadaver or that it was considered a penalty. Today, people and their families can have a sense of peace after a death by donating organs to those who are in dire need. If you had perfectly worthy organs that you could not use anymore, why wouldn’t someone want to save another life with them?

No one can escape death. It’s one of so few unavoidable certainties in our lives and has held an important position in every human culture since time immemorial. Of course, this position has is different from culture to culture, and shifts over time. This is particularly evident in western culture. The shift is discussed at length in two essays: “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” by Jessica Mitford, and ‘The Fear of Dying’ by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Both explore different aspects of these themes – Mitford’s essay being deconstruction of a the uniquely North American process of embalming, and Kübler-Ross’ being an indictment of the clinical depersonalization of contemporary western attitudes toward death. Each utilize many different tools as writers, such as rhetorical modes. Rhetorical modes they share are exemplification, description, and compare-and-contrast.

Roach’s purpose in writing the book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers was to inform the readers of what dealing with a cadaver, or a dead body, is like. Cadavers are corpses that are used for medical reasons such as anatomical research. “ Here's the other thing I think about, it makes little sense to try to control what happens to your remains.” She states this in the

Mary Roach has written many other books about the afterlife and science, outer space, human sexuality and science, and human anatomy. In the book Stiff: The Curious Lives Of Human Cadavers Mary Roach explores what has happened to human cadavers from as far back as ancient Egypt. Mary Roach’s introduction is persuasive in nature, Roach is inclined to do something useful with corpses, “Why lie around on your back when you can do something interesting and new, something useful” (Roach, 9). She perceives that donating your body to science is much more helpful than a regular burial or cremation, “To me, ending up an exhibit in the Mutter Museum or a skeleton in a medical school

In the U.K. for example, the Anatomy Act of 1984 was passed (Ghosh 2015). Its goal, much like UAGA, was to streamline the process of body donation, specify how a donor must give his consent, and allow for a surviving spouse or relative to stop the donation (Greene 2003). As medical schools around the world transitioned into the late 20th century, body donations were the primary source of cadavers, the scourge of grave robbing and other unethical actions had finally come to an end (Greene 2003). It is worth noting that in addition to making the body donation process easier, medical schools also began to teach students to treat cadavers with respect (McHanwell 2008). For example, every year in China a memorial is held to thank those who donated their bodies (Zhang). There are, of course, still areas where religious beliefs and social norms keep available cadavers low, but overall these programs have been a success

Full Sentence Outline Format Name: Joy D. Brown Date: 10/23/2017 Topic: Three extraordinary options for body donation after death Purpose: Introduce the audience to three unusual ways they can take part in scientific research after death. Thesis: Exploration of three remarkable options for body donation after death I.

Donating an organ is the ultimate gift any person could give, simply because it saves the life of another. Giving the gift of life is far more important than the right to decide how to dispose of a body that a deceased person will no longer need. When a person is dead, and no longer needs the body, then in all reality a person whom is dying, and could easily be saved by an organ from the deceased person

For the next 50 years, donating one’s body for scientific cadaver use would become more acceptable and commonplace. However, it wasn’t until 1882 that a medical institution, the Chicago College of Physicians and Surgeons, would offer a curriculum that incorporated cadaver dissection (Perry & Kuehn, 2006). It wouldn’t be until 1918 that an organization, The Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois, would manage the body donation program for medical research and educational institutions (The Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois, 2013).

- All of the major religions in this country approve of organ and tissue donation and consider it a gift – an act of charity