Stiff: The Curious Lives Of Human Cadavers

By reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach, one can learn the many different uses for cadavers, shells of what used to be people. Mainly Roach discusses the multiple scientific uses for them and also how they have influenced advancement in different fields of study. The novel also discusses the decay of these bodies. It does not take long for these bodies to decay and many people attempt to delay this process with techniques such as embalming and burying them in coffins. But what is event the point of these processes if time is simply going to tear apart the bodies anyway. The main idea behind these ongoing practices stems from religious tradition as a form of respect and also to aid in the use of scientific research as it is somewhat difficult to study a body if it deteriorates quickly.
The act of burying a body in a coffin after death stemmed from an earlier practice of burying bodies on their own. It can be dated as far back as the Netherlands, people
From a religious standpoint, embalming was practiced mainly by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans because they believed that embalming and burial were the preparation steps for the soul’s journey to the underworld (Rostad). Jews and most Christians did not practice embalming; they believed it to be destruction of what God created. From this view embalming was not to preserve the body but prepare it for the afterlife. The second reason for embalming is that it disinfects and kills bacteria still living on the corpse to prevent disease and pathogens from finding their ways to new hosts (Rostad). Without this step critical disease, like those in third-world countries, would continue to spread and kill off those who are still