Review: "Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach

[annuin]

Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Mary Roach
W.W. Norton (May 2004)
Ppb. 304 pages
$13.95



If you've ever found yourself fascinated by forensics programs, or have had your interest piqued by the mention of body farms, or enjoy watching the, sometimes gruesome, cgi recreations of bullet tracks and injuries in CSI, then Stiff is probably the book for you. Also, if you've ever wondered what might happen when a body is donated to medical science, then one of the possible uses is likely to be documented here.

Stiff is a book that illustrates the various uses of human cadavers in today's world, as well as what history has done with them. And it does so in an often surprisingly humourous way, whilst remaining respectful of the subject matter.

This is definitely not a book for the squeamish though. If your stomach is one to flip and roll at the sight of  blood and televised operations, descriptions about decomposition, and some of the other things a cadaver might be put through, then I would suggest you read something else. Whilst a fascinating book, I doubt one would enjoy reading it if if one felt queasy doing so.

Mary Roach's book documents the use of cadavers over the ages, from the very first anatomical dissections, to the roles they now play in aiding forensics, furthering surgery, gathering accident and crash impact data, and other, sometimes much weirder, experiments and research.

She also looks at the history of cadaver donation, including the graverobbing of the 19th century, and the history and possible future of how we dispose of our remains.

I found this book incredibly fascinating, describing uses for cadavers that I had never even considered, and which often go unmentioned to the world at large because of the reactions some people might have, even though the service these cadavers provide is immeasurable and helps us in so many different aspects of our daily lives. Cadavers provide a priceless service to us all, and do so quietly and humbly, and we have much to thank those people for, those who are willing to donate themselves to this purpose.

Comments

[octopusgrrl.livejournal.com]

I read "Stiff" a month or so ago, and loved it too. Mary Roach's journalistic style makes it such an enjoyable read about a not-so-pleasant subject, and I laughed out loud at some of her turns of phrase. I pestered warpart with dead-people trivia so much that he finally gave in and read it himself, and really enjoyed it as well. But yes, I've always thought I had a fairly cast-iron stomach and can read the most gruesome of horror novels without batting an eyelid, but there were a couple of moments that made even me feel slightly nauseous.