In this chapter, Life After Death, the focus is on how the human body decays and what coroners and morticians do "freeze" the process, so to speak. Oddly enough I very much enjoy learning about this subject, so this chapter really caught my attention. A few subjects that were discussed in this chapter include the different phases of decay and how long each of them last, and how each body part decays, which I'm sure will tie into this year's curriculum.
I agree with what you wrote about chapter three, because this chapter really does focus on human decay and about the “freezing” process. This chapter focuses on human decay to the point where the author gets to see some of the experiments doctors perform on the cadavers so they can see how long does it take before the body will start to decompose and eventually rot.
I agree with you on the very cool process that is the "freezing" of the human body. For me the most interesting part was the "hacienda". It was nasty but at the same time interesting how these flies eat the subcutaneous fat of the human cadaver.
I thought the freezing process was pretty interesting too. It allows medical students to learn without risking a person's life. And the freezing process is pretty effective too. The cadavers are held together enough that they are as close to looking alive as possible.
The part that shocked me the most was when the author vividly described how a human body decomposes! It shocked me greatly. I agree with you on the "freezing" (enbalming) of the body, it is a very interesting process that i enjoyed learning about
I agree with you on the process called "freezing" of a human body as well. It was pretty cool actually. I really liked how the author described how the human body decays. Her details were quite vivid and descriptive. I thought it would be boring, but it turned out to be very interesting instead.
I agree with you Sofia. The "freezing" process is pretty cool and interesting. The details were vivid and informative. The information was not boring but made me rather more curios.
What interested me was the "freezing" process on the body. The information in this chapter was very realistic and dramatic. I yearned to read more about the story. All in all, I believe Mary did an extravagant job defining in this chapter, the decomposition of the body.
I agree with you Sofia, the author made me want to keep on reading and never put down the book. She uses such vivid details in her writing in this chapter.
The interesting part of this chapter was definitely how bodies can be frozen to do much more, although this isn't very new information given my life background I've been exposed to everything this chapter has to give. (I grew up going to the morgue with my mom almost every day, so I was exposed to ways cadavers can be chopped up and reused until they decompose.) So mainly this chapter was like a taste of the good 'ol days, described wonderfully by a great author.
I agree with you. I found the freezing process extremely interesting, but hacienda is just disgusting. Flies eating the subcutaneous fat of the human cadavers is just gruesome. I did like this chapter though her descriptions are amazing.
I also agree with you, the freezing process was extremely interesting and all of the details and descriptions amazed me. The way the process was sued is very amazing and caught my attention. I think that roach did an extremely good job describing the decomposition of the body.
I do agree with you that this is going to be part of out curriculum and that this chapter was oddly interesting to the point that fly larvae is use to tell how long the body has bin their.
I on the other hand, was super disgusted by this chapter but yet intrigued to learn more about the subject. It's very interesting to learn about how cadavers are even preserved with chemicals.
What I found interesting was that in chapter three of the book Stiff is that, the author is in University of Tennessee Medical Center where she will meet a man named Arpad. Arpad has been studying the science of human decay for more than a decade he also, has a project at ORNL where he is trying to find out the time of death by analyzing tissue samples of the victim’s organs and measuring the amounts of dozens of different time-dependent decay chemicals. The biology concepts that where addressed would be the study epithelial tissues these tissues of cells with little extra cellular material between them can be studied to so pinpoint time of death a human died. Is study of Epithelial tissue will tie into our biology course because epithelial tissue is skin, hair, and nails (or the structure made from it.) Because, epithelial tissue is skin (the largest organ of a human) I would think that we would be studying this in our biology course. ( this was written by Debora Perez all the informing I found in the book stiff but the information about epithelial tissue I found in a book named Biology: Concepts and Applications: Concepts and Applications)
Wow I don't know to agree with what you just said or give you a standing a ovation. But I agree with you; your discussion has biology written all over it from "pinpointing the time or death of a body" to "analyzing tissue samples".
This chapter of Stiff was mainly about the process of decomposition. I found it interesting that forensic scientists could find out so much about how that person died just by doing something as simple as looking at body temperature. I was amazed at the accuracy of a good scientist's estimated time of death. I'm pretty sure the decay of the dead will be discussed in Biology, as it affects the study of any organism's body.
I agree with what you wrote I think that it is really fascinating that forensic science can tell us the time of death,the cause of death, and more. Just by the bodys' temperature or even by examining tissues of the skin.
I also find it interesting that scientist can give a time of death by looking the body temperature of the cadaver.Another way they can determine what time the death occurred is both interesting and slightly disturbing is whether or not there are bug on the cadaver.
I agree that it is very interesting and shocking that you can find the time of death with something as simple as the body temperature or examining tissues of the skin. I really thought this chapter was quite the eye opener.
I was also intrigued by the ability of forensic scientists to determine precisely when a person died. It goes to show just how much the field has advanced over the years.
I too was fond of the way scientist were able to accurately discover the intervals between days when a person dies. It not only shows how they advanced throughout the years, but how dedicated they were to science studies.
I agree with you, this chapter happened to be very interesting as decomposition is very interesting to learn about. This can really help forensic scientists as you said too. This is something I believe will definitely be discussed about in biology and also anatomy.
I too was surprised by how much information can be revealed by a dead human corpse. The information gathered by the scientists studying these cadavers will change the way criminal investigators search a crime scene. It will also make it more efficient, and easy for them.
this chapter of the book is very interesting. I think we going to learn more later about the biological and chemical phases the cadavers go through. This chapter showed a very interesting part on biology. This part is to indicate when someone die. The phases the body goes through can tell if someone died a year ago or an hour ago. The biological and chemical phases the cadavers go through can help detectives.
I also think that it is amazing that crime investigators can tell if the person died an hour ago or one year ago, this was only accomplished by scientists studying cadavers.
I found it interesting and cool that investigators can determine the precise time of death by analyzing the body, which can be done with experience and knowing the sighs.
I agree with you, this study can definitely help detectives to find out how long a persons been dead and how. Whether if its been 1 year or a month they would still be able to tell because of the bodies chemical processes.
I totally agree that body is super useful in telling information on time. As you said, to is extremely useful to detectives when trying to solve the case. You can be surprised how much bugs, slime, and "skin slipping" can tell.
I completely agree with you knowing the time of death of a body is critical to detectives and the case. No doubt the chemical phases of a dead body will show the past of that body.
I found the chapter “Life after Death” very interesting. It explained (in gruesome detail) the different stages of human decomposition. This shocked me, because I never realized that a human body decomposes so fast! I also did not know that forensics specialists can pinpoint the time that a human died down to the hour by analyzing tissue samples from their organs! I also learned how cadavers are embalmed before a funeral by replacing blood with a special liquid preservative. I believe that this relates to the biology course, because it involves how a human decomposes, and I believe that we will learn about this in biology.
The different of stages didn't shock me so much, as I have read about them before and wasn't so disturbed by the imagery provided by the author. I agree that this chapter was very informative and I feel like it provided a really in depth view as to how bodies decompose and the stages of decomposition they go through.
I have also learned new and interesting things from this chapter that I didn't know before. For example, I learned that your skin just slips off your body after a week or two because of the yellow slime developing under the skin. Super eerie yet really interesting.
I was shocked as well! I never would've even considered that the body decomposed as fast as it does. It was very interesting to learn about the ways cadavers were conserved
I found the third chapter of the book "stiff" to be repulsive due to Mary Roach's incredibly descriptive writing style. I was amazed at the fact that only one person with the right kind of training can be so specific to the time of death also the different levels of decay. this has to do with biology because it involves preservation and decaying two things which have to do with biology.
I have to disagree with you. I found that her descriptive style is what kept the book alive. I think that if she hadn't been so detailed the book would've been boring. the way she explains everything that happens with the cadavers is what really ties the book together.
I think I would have to agree with Nicole. Her vivid description kept you wanting to read more and more no matter how disgusting it was, of course that is my opinion, no offense. Another thing is there wouldn't really be an easier way to describe it, after all the book deals with dead bodies.
I think I would also have to agree with Nicole and Alexandria, I personally enjoyed the majority of the descriptions. Of course I found some to be a little too descriptive but its Roach's way of explaining herself.
I also have to disagree. Without Roach's unique style of writing this book would be completely dull. The descriptive writing style is what kept the reader wanting to keep reading.
I found chapter 3 of "Stiff" to be just as interesting if not more than the preceding chapters because of the author's very analytical descriptions of the unique phases of a human body's decay. The scene was like that of a horror thriller that doesn't stop making you cringe every so often due to the amount of detail given about each stage, such as the "moving rice grains" devouring the subcutaneous fat under the skin.
Anatomy concepts covered in this chapter were the decay of a human body and what happens in each stage.
The main point of this chapter was a description of what exactly occurs to someone's body after they pass away, as well as the different stages from "fresh" to putrefaction and decay.
I agree with you, this chapter seemed very interesting with how the author was able to give extremely detailed descriptions on how the body went through the body after someone dies. I really liked the amount of detail that the author gave in this chapter, it really painted a good picture in my head.
I agree with the points you discussed about this chapter and the details of the details. Like the different stages of a died body like fresh and decay. Than comparing it all to horror thriller movie shows your insist of the chapter.
Chapter 3 in Stiff, really caught my attention. I found it pretty gruesome, due to roach's very accurate and detailed descriptions. It really peaked my attention because it explained the stages of a decaying body (in very accurate detail, that is). It's incredible that a crime investigator can find out the time of death just by the body's temperature or by analyzing tissues of the skin. I can say that this chapter will be a part of biology, because it covers the decay of a human body, and each stage.
Gruesome is a good way to put this chapter, as the numerous amount of detail the author puts into describing the process of decay gives a very vivid picture of how it looks like. I agree that I too found it fascinating how investigators can pinpoint the precise time a person died.
To Ashley Rivera and Tomas Pena, I shall agree with you. The chapter was gruesome but that is what made me want to read it until the very end. Its rather fascinating how investigators can make a precise time when a person died. I thought by analyzing the body temperature it just meant that you were still alive or you're dead but I guess sometimes television doesn't lie.
The way this third chapter was written is amazing. It triggered my senses in the way how I was able to visualize, smell, and hear what Mary Roach was monitoring. The chapter is intertwined with Biology for the reason it talks about the phases a cadaver goes through during the time period of its decomposition. As well as, the reactions the organs have once the body is dead and no longer in motion. My personal interpretation of the text was disturbing and gross due to the comparisons between the cadaver and real life goods. For example, " If you lean close enough you can hear the larvae feeding. Almost like Rice Krispies." It's not something you would want to hear when talking about rotten bodies.
This chapter was one of those things that you find morbid-but-still-interesting (then again, isn't that pretty much the theme of the entire book?). It focused on how bodies decay, as well as how long it takes and what it can be used for (in extremely creepy details). I feel like the entire chapter was mainly just biological explanations on why things go bad when you leave them out for too long, which ties into a lot of other things besides just human bodies. Personally, I'm the type of person who would love to read more about the subject, but when introduced to the opportunity to actually do it up close, I would turn it down faster than Gangnam Style coming on the radio for the 150th time.
I agree with you. That Gangnam Style is something to turn down right away. But in all seriousness I agree with you when you say that the book "morbid-but-still-interesting" its not pleasant at all to read but it gets you thinking and wondering about other things human bodies can be useful for.
This chapter was very informative. It concentrated on what happens after death. In other words its explains how your body decays. To go in more depth it explains how you can tell when the person died as long as its in the time period of three days or they will have to use entomological clues (how old are these fly larvae). What I found interesting was how vivid Mary described "hacienda" or maggot. I also found interesting that when were dead we cannot expel the gas that we have so therefore we bloat. Making it most noticeable in the abdomen. This relates to biology because it explain how a body decomposes.
I agree that this chapter was very informative and Mary Roach did an excellent job at informing the readers about the decay of the human body in a way that was understandable, but did not lack any details. I also found the fact that we can't expel gas once we're dead interesting too, and funny as well.
I agree that it was very informative. I've always wondered exactly what happens when somebody dies and what happens in the body. This chapter definitely answers most of my questions and who new that our dead bodies are more useful then we think. Well, at least to bacteria and bugs.
I found this chapter to be one of the most interesting in my opinion. Reason why is because I would also question on why body’s decay and I would’ve never thought that leaving them out to decay helped out find how long they’ve been dead for. Some biology concepts in this chapter is that it mainly focuses on the human body decaying and why exactly it is that it does that. It also explains how they human body decaying is useful for some specific situations. My personal interpretation of this book is that they go to a decaying place where bodies are left on the ground in order from how long they’ve been dead for to decay and to be studied about.
Yep, it's always best to leave your dead body out in the open. Reminds me of an episode of Columbo where a man had placed a heater near the body of an art collector whom he had murdered to make it seem like it had happened later in the day. Temperature is one of the many important factors to find the time of death.
The chapter, Life After Death, was more interesting other ones. In this chapter I was able to learn that cadavers are also used for criminal investigation. Bodies are left to decay, scientists take note on smell, time, temperature, and many other factors in order to learn more on a body. It allows criminal investigators to solve cases more efficiently. I found the process to seem similar to carbon dating, because both of the processes show how long something was dead or alive. The chapter also explains how our bodies decay, which was also very interesting. While reading this chapter, I was able to imagine what was going on, they activated all of my senses, even smell.
I agree, the way the author was so vivid made you feel like you could all your five senses were suddenly activated and it felt like you were in her shoes. The process they used to decipher the death of a person also reminded me of carbon dating. It was also interesting those little factors like the smell and temperature could determine the time of death.
What I found so deeply interesting about this chapter is mainly just the way Mary decided to title it. "Life after death" is usually a spiritual term, not so much the process of how our bodies decompose. I think the depth in that is fascinating because it adds depth to what she is trying to say. By using such a title, you think she'll be explaining the supernatural, however she explains what really happens to our bodies physically. And the function makes sense because no one will ever know what happens to us spiritually- ever. We can assume (Like what some would do to the title) but the reality is what we half expected (like what one would say after finishing the chapter). we will ever only know 'Life after death' from observation of the cadavers, to find out what happens to our state of mind can only be found out when one experiences death itself. (not the stopping of the heart, I mean actual death.) So, the reality check that Mary gives us with just a simple title was my fascination in this chapter.
I agree, the title of the chapter also made me speculate if Roach was going to mention anything supernatural about life after death - it is usually used as a spiritual term after all. Observing cadavers is all we will ever know about what truly happens after life, and it does give it a more profound meaning. All in all, the chapter was fascinating.
I agree with what you wrote about questioning whether this chapter was going to be about something spiritual. But no, she talked about the many stages of decaying. She did gave a few fascinating facts about what happens to our body when their decomposing.
To start off, this chapter was one of the most vivid chapters ever. I didn't like it because I could actually see the bodies decomposing in my head and it was a little bit disgusting. What I didn't know was that bodies decomposed so fast and there are so many ways to tell when the person died. From potassium levels to there temperature to fly larvae, it just is so incredible. I never imagined that flies could tell you or give a hint as to when a person died. Terms learned in this chapter is definitely the decay stages and how long each takes and how to tell how long something as been dead for. This can apply to anatomy by being able to identify from just pictures when someone has dies. The author really did a great job...Too great a job at describing cadavers in this chapter.
I agree with you on the aspect of how descriptive the author was. The way she put everything into words gave you a mental image that isn't really pleasant yet captivating. I was also surprised that flies could hint when a person has died.
I also agree with you on the part that this chapter was a bit disgusting at points. I too discovered the different ways to hint when a person was dead. I was interested yet disturbed, mostly in learning the different stages of decay. All in all, the author did an amazing job in keeping the reader interested and gave very good, vivid detail.
The third chapter of Stiff was different from the first two chapters in the book with it being so vivid. The way the author described the smells and the decedent produced a vivid picture in my head to the point where I would feel slightly nauseated. It was an interesting yet repulsive chapter.
The biology concepts that were addressed were the various stages of decomposition of the cadaver. The decedent could have decay put on hold by embalming, which makes use of the circulatory system to deliver a liquid preservative. One could also notice how long a cadaver has been decaying and if it has decayed in the same spot it was found by examining the dirt for specific fats that start leaking during the decomposition process.
My personal interpretation of the text was that although the way Roach described her surroundings were incredibly vivid, it was also intriguing in a morbid way.
I agree with you on that the third chapter was a little more descriptive than the first two. I also felt a little disgusted by the way Roach described the situation and found some of the descriptions to be very disturbing.
It definitely was a different turn of information. I suppose Roach had to start with the gruesome stuff at some time in the book, so why not now? I agree with the biology concepts you mentioned, and I definitely see why you thought it was intriguing in a morbid way.
I found this chapter interesting because of the different stages of the human body decomposition. Even though many vivid details were used I found them more helpful in understanding than repulsive. This related to anatomy and physiology because it is about the human body and the effects of death and how to preserve a dead body. My interpretation of this chapter is that it was about the stages of body decomposition and it is also about how to preserve the dead body, it was very interesting.
I agree with your interpretation of the details, only being there to help create a more vivid image of how the composition of the body works. You cant expect the word "decay" to just explain it all.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Morbid things can usually be very unsettling, but if you're going to be reading a book about cadavers, don't expect to have bunnies and rainbows along with flying poptart cats. Instead, embrace the cold, eerie vibe of death. This would be the case, if Roach did not incorporate the humor in the book.
This chapter was not for the light hearted. The author had no problem explaining the processes and stages of the decomposition of the human body with vivid imagery. There was one instance where the person she was with described a smell by comparing it to "chicken soup", which puts things in perspective in an eerie way. This chapter does a good job of giving you the answers to things you wondered about when people die such as bloating and is caused by bacteria passing gas in the body while feeding on their juices. Pretty interesting, but at the same time a little unsettling which is cool.
I totally agree when you say that it is not for the light hearted Then again, I would tell that to everyone about to read the book. But let's face it, we're all going to die and we're all going to decompose just like in the chapter. It is definitely unsettling, but still interesting as you said.
The process of embalming really caught my attention. Mary roach added some pretty interesting facts about cadavers and what happens to their bodies. She also includes a little bit of humor with Ron Walli. Roach writes about bacteria, cadavers being bloated, and how to make the body seem alive again. She still adds history in this chapter to compare and contrast how things were done. Even cremation is an ugly sight. Roach explains autolysis, or self-digestion. Cells watch over enzymes preventing them from breaking down the cell's wall when a person is alive. Once he/she dies, unsupervised enzymes eat through the cell structure. Enzymes regulate processes chemically to maintain balance even after death. It is part of the life cycle. Putrefaction is in the bloating phase. Its the breaking down and gradual liquefaction of tissue by bacteria. With close analysis of chemicals in the soil some people can tell if a body was moved from where it decayed. This was the most interesting chapter to, so far.
Yes sir, the facts were definitely a surprise to me. I mean, who would've known decomposition could be used to help find the approximate time of when the death happened? It was pretty disgusting, but also very informational.
Chapter three was mostly decomposition and the phases which a died body goes threw from once the body dies to years later. Like this is how detectives can find out how long a died body has been been died in could be a break through in cases. Also the decay can be slowed down in cold climate of a died body.
Chapter three mostly talked about the process of human decay and the different things to do with your body after you have passed on. Oddly enough, this was one of my favorite chapters even though it was extremely gruesome. I feel the vivid imagery in this chapter really lures a reader. It also has really interesting information about the stages that a corpse goes through in the process of decay.
This particular chapter of Stiff was mostly about the process of decaying. They’re numerous of interesting facts decomposition. She explained throughout the book about the many different stages of decay. The decaying bodies goes through chemical and biological phases. She managed to give an extreme detailed descriptions of what’s exactly is happening in the body after someone passed away. I found it pretty gruesome due to the fact that her writing is very intense.
This chapter offered alot of interesting and detailed information on how the body decomposes. For this reason, people must use chemicals to preserve it. For example, in the morgs they have to replace the blood with a liquid and the body becomes very stiff with a different skin texture as well. The author does not hold back anything. She describes things like body fluids and fat leaking, gas, odor, and other disgusting things. However, she mentions what causes this to happen so the reader can learn a lot. I was grossed out by this chapter but it still interested me and kept me reading.
I’ve always loved decomposition—and all that that implies—unequivocally making “Life After Death” one of my favorite chapters in the book. Sure, crime scene investigation shows can say that forensic scientists detect the time of death through decomposition (and make us feel all smart and gooey inside), but Stiff explains the inner-workings of that operation: to use potassium gel levels in the eyes as well as algor mortis to determine time of death. She also explains the biological and chemical phases that occur in the body postmortem. A pretty touchy subject indeed… Maybe one we’ll get our hands on during the course of this year…
This chapter of Stiff by Mary Roach mainly focused on decomposition and decaying of the human body, "life after death". It was discussed that to preserve a body chemicals are needed. The author makes sure to include all the disgusting things too! She mentions the odors and everything! This chapter was in my opinion the most gruesome as well as hard to read. It wasn't pleasant but that still doesn't make me forget the fact that the facts were super interesting and I learned MANY new things.
In this chapter, Life After Death, the focus is on how the human body decays and what coroners and morticians do "freeze" the process, so to speak. Oddly enough I very much enjoy learning about this subject, so this chapter really caught my attention. A few subjects that were discussed in this chapter include the different phases of decay and how long each of them last, and how each body part decays, which I'm sure will tie into this year's curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you wrote about chapter three, because this chapter really does focus on human decay and about the “freezing” process. This chapter focuses on human decay to the point where the author gets to see some of the experiments doctors perform on the cadavers so they can see how long does it take before the body will start to decompose and eventually rot.
DeleteI agree with you on the very cool process that is the "freezing" of the human body. For me the most interesting part was the "hacienda". It was nasty but at the same time interesting how these flies eat the subcutaneous fat of the human cadaver.
DeleteI thought the freezing process was pretty interesting too. It allows medical students to learn without risking a person's life. And the freezing process is pretty effective too. The cadavers are held together enough that they are as close to looking alive as possible.
DeleteThe part that shocked me the most was when the author vividly described how a human body decomposes! It shocked me greatly. I agree with you on the "freezing" (enbalming) of the body, it is a very interesting process that i enjoyed learning about
DeleteI agree with you on the process called "freezing" of a human body as well. It was pretty cool actually. I really liked how the author described how the human body decays. Her details were quite vivid and descriptive. I thought it would be boring, but it turned out to be very interesting instead.
DeleteI agree with you Sofia. The "freezing" process is pretty cool and interesting. The details were vivid and informative. The information was not boring but made me rather more curios.
DeleteWhat interested me was the "freezing" process on the body. The information in this chapter was very realistic and dramatic. I yearned to read more about the story. All in all, I believe Mary did an extravagant job defining in this chapter, the decomposition of the body.
DeleteI agree with you Sofia, the author made me want to keep on reading and never put down the book. She uses such vivid details in her writing in this chapter.
DeleteThe interesting part of this chapter was definitely how bodies can be frozen to do much more, although this isn't very new information given my life background I've been exposed to everything this chapter has to give. (I grew up going to the morgue with my mom almost every day, so I was exposed to ways cadavers can be chopped up and reused until they decompose.) So mainly this chapter was like a taste of the good 'ol days, described wonderfully by a great author.
DeleteI agree with you. I found the freezing process extremely interesting, but hacienda is just disgusting. Flies eating the subcutaneous fat of the human cadavers is just gruesome. I did like this chapter though her descriptions are amazing.
DeleteI also agree with you, the freezing process was extremely interesting and all of the details and descriptions amazed me. The way the process was sued is very amazing and caught my attention. I think that roach did an extremely good job describing the decomposition of the body.
DeleteI do agree with you that this is going to be part of out curriculum and that this chapter was oddly interesting to the point that fly larvae is use to tell how long the body has bin their.
DeleteI on the other hand, was super disgusted by this chapter but yet intrigued to learn more about the subject. It's very interesting to learn about how cadavers are even preserved with chemicals.
DeleteI agree - it is an interesting chapter and her descriptions of the process are very vivid.
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ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting was that in chapter three of the book Stiff is that, the author is in University of Tennessee Medical Center where she will meet a man named Arpad. Arpad has been studying the science of human decay for more than a decade he also, has a project at ORNL where he is trying to find out the time of death by analyzing tissue samples of the victim’s organs and measuring the amounts of dozens of different time-dependent decay chemicals. The biology concepts that where addressed would be the study epithelial tissues these tissues of cells with little extra cellular material between them can be studied to so pinpoint time of death a human died. Is study of Epithelial tissue will tie into our biology course because epithelial tissue is skin, hair, and nails (or the structure made from it.) Because, epithelial tissue is skin (the largest organ of a human) I would think that we would be studying this in our biology course.
ReplyDelete( this was written by Debora Perez all the informing I found in the book stiff but the information about epithelial tissue I found in a book named Biology: Concepts and Applications: Concepts and Applications)
Excellent! Good work on this post!
DeleteWow I don't know to agree with what you just said or give you a standing a ovation. But I agree with you; your discussion has biology written all over it from "pinpointing the time or death of a body" to "analyzing tissue samples".
DeleteThis chapter of Stiff was mainly about the process of decomposition. I found it interesting that forensic scientists could find out so much about how that person died just by doing something as simple as looking at body temperature. I was amazed at the accuracy of a good scientist's estimated time of death. I'm pretty sure the decay of the dead will be discussed in Biology, as it affects the study of any organism's body.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with what you wrote I think that it is really fascinating that forensic science can tell us the time of death,the cause of death, and more. Just by the bodys' temperature or even by examining tissues of the skin.
DeleteI also find it interesting that scientist can give a time of death by looking the body temperature of the cadaver.Another way they can determine what time the death occurred is both interesting and slightly disturbing is whether or not there are bug on the cadaver.
DeleteI agree that it is very interesting and shocking that you can find the time of death with something as simple as the body temperature or examining tissues of the skin. I really thought this chapter was quite the eye opener.
DeleteI agree that is intresting that you can find the time of death by just body temp. This person did a really good job.
DeleteI was also intrigued by the ability of forensic scientists to determine precisely when a person died. It goes to show just how much the field has advanced over the years.
DeleteI too was fond of the way scientist were able to accurately discover the intervals between days when a person dies. It not only shows how they advanced throughout the years, but how dedicated they were to science studies.
DeleteI agree with you, this chapter happened to be very interesting as decomposition is very interesting to learn about. This can really help forensic scientists as you said too. This is something I believe will definitely be discussed about in biology and also anatomy.
DeleteI too was surprised by how much information can be revealed by a dead human corpse. The information gathered by the scientists studying these cadavers will change the way criminal investigators search a crime scene. It will also make it more efficient, and easy for them.
Deletethis chapter of the book is very interesting. I think we going to learn more later about the biological and chemical phases the cadavers go through. This chapter showed a very interesting part on biology. This part is to indicate when someone die. The phases the body goes through can tell if someone died a year ago or an hour ago. The biological and chemical phases the cadavers go through can help detectives.
ReplyDeleteI also think that it is amazing that crime investigators can tell if the person died an hour ago or one year ago, this was only accomplished by scientists studying cadavers.
DeleteI found it interesting and cool that investigators can determine the precise time of death by analyzing the body, which can be done with experience and knowing the sighs.
DeleteI agree with you, this study can definitely help detectives to find out how long a persons been dead and how. Whether if its been 1 year or a month they would still be able to tell because of the bodies chemical processes.
DeleteI totally agree that body is super useful in telling information on time. As you said, to is extremely useful to detectives when trying to solve the case. You can be surprised how much bugs, slime, and "skin slipping" can tell.
DeleteI completely agree with you knowing the time of death of a body is critical to detectives and the case. No doubt the chemical phases of a dead body will show the past of that body.
DeleteI found the chapter “Life after Death” very interesting. It explained (in gruesome detail) the different stages of human decomposition. This shocked me, because I never realized that a human body decomposes so fast! I also did not know that forensics specialists can pinpoint the time that a human died down to the hour by analyzing tissue samples from their organs! I also learned how cadavers are embalmed before a funeral by replacing blood with a special liquid preservative. I believe that this relates to the biology course, because it involves how a human decomposes, and I believe that we will learn about this in biology.
ReplyDeleteI was also shocked at the decomposition of the human body. I also didn't know about the liquid they use on cadavers to embalm them.
DeleteThe different of stages didn't shock me so much, as I have read about them before and wasn't so disturbed by the imagery provided by the author. I agree that this chapter was very informative and I feel like it provided a really in depth view as to how bodies decompose and the stages of decomposition they go through.
DeleteI have also learned new and interesting things from this chapter that I didn't know before. For example, I learned that your skin just slips off your body after a week or two because of the yellow slime developing under the skin. Super eerie yet really interesting.
DeleteI was shocked as well! I never would've even considered that the body decomposed as fast as it does. It was very interesting to learn about the ways cadavers were conserved
DeleteI found the third chapter of the book "stiff" to be repulsive due to Mary Roach's incredibly descriptive writing style. I was amazed at the fact that only one person with the right kind of training can be so specific to the time of death also the different levels of decay. this has to do with biology because it involves preservation and decaying two things which have to do with biology.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with you. I found that her descriptive style is what kept the book alive. I think that if she hadn't been so detailed the book would've been boring. the way she explains everything that happens with the cadavers is what really ties the book together.
DeleteI think I would have to agree with Nicole. Her vivid description kept you wanting to read more and more no matter how disgusting it was, of course that is my opinion, no offense. Another thing is there wouldn't really be an easier way to describe it, after all the book deals with dead bodies.
DeleteI think I would also have to agree with Nicole and Alexandria, I personally enjoyed the majority of the descriptions. Of course I found some to be a little too descriptive but its Roach's way of explaining herself.
DeleteI disagree with your opinion that the third chapter was repulsive, because to me the "repulsive" details are what make the book interesting.
DeleteI also have to disagree. Without Roach's unique style of writing this book would be completely dull. The descriptive writing style is what kept the reader wanting to keep reading.
DeleteI found chapter 3 of "Stiff" to be just as interesting if not more than the preceding chapters because of the author's very analytical descriptions of the unique phases of a human body's decay. The scene was like that of a horror thriller that doesn't stop making you cringe every so often due to the amount of detail given about each stage, such as the "moving rice grains" devouring the subcutaneous fat under the skin.
ReplyDeleteAnatomy concepts covered in this chapter were the decay of a human body and what happens in each stage.
The main point of this chapter was a description of what exactly occurs to someone's body after they pass away, as well as the different stages from "fresh" to putrefaction and decay.
I agree with you, this chapter seemed very interesting with how the author was able to give extremely detailed descriptions on how the body went through the body after someone dies. I really liked the amount of detail that the author gave in this chapter, it really painted a good picture in my head.
DeleteI agree with the points you discussed about this chapter and the details of the details. Like the different stages of a died body like fresh and decay. Than comparing it all to horror thriller movie shows your insist of the chapter.
DeleteChapter 3 in Stiff, really caught my attention. I found it pretty gruesome, due to roach's very accurate and detailed descriptions. It really peaked my attention because it explained the stages of a decaying body (in very accurate detail, that is). It's incredible that a crime investigator can find out the time of death just by the body's temperature or by analyzing tissues of the skin. I can say that this chapter will be a part of biology, because it covers the decay of a human body, and each stage.
ReplyDeleteGruesome is a good way to put this chapter, as the numerous amount of detail the author puts into describing the process of decay gives a very vivid picture of how it looks like. I agree that I too found it fascinating how investigators can pinpoint the precise time a person died.
DeleteTo Ashley Rivera and Tomas Pena, I shall agree with you. The chapter was gruesome but that is what made me want to read it until the very end. Its rather fascinating how investigators can make a precise time when a person died. I thought by analyzing the body temperature it just meant that you were still alive or you're dead but I guess sometimes television doesn't lie.
DeleteThe way this third chapter was written is amazing. It triggered my senses in the way how I was able to visualize, smell, and hear what Mary Roach was monitoring. The chapter is intertwined with Biology for the reason it talks about the phases a cadaver goes through during the time period of its decomposition. As well as, the reactions the organs have once the body is dead and no longer in motion. My personal interpretation of the text was disturbing and gross due to the comparisons between the cadaver and real life goods. For example, " If you lean close enough you can hear the larvae feeding. Almost like Rice Krispies." It's not something you would want to hear when talking about rotten bodies.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was one of those things that you find morbid-but-still-interesting (then again, isn't that pretty much the theme of the entire book?). It focused on how bodies decay, as well as how long it takes and what it can be used for (in extremely creepy details). I feel like the entire chapter was mainly just biological explanations on why things go bad when you leave them out for too long, which ties into a lot of other things besides just human bodies. Personally, I'm the type of person who would love to read more about the subject, but when introduced to the opportunity to actually do it up close, I would turn it down faster than Gangnam Style coming on the radio for the 150th time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. That Gangnam Style is something to turn down right away. But in all seriousness I agree with you when you say that the book "morbid-but-still-interesting" its not pleasant at all to read but it gets you thinking and wondering about other things human bodies can be useful for.
DeleteThis chapter was very informative. It concentrated on what happens after death. In other words its explains how your body decays. To go in more depth it explains how you can tell when the person died as long as its in the time period of three days or they will have to use entomological clues (how old are these fly larvae). What I found interesting was how vivid Mary described "hacienda" or maggot. I also found interesting that when were dead we cannot expel the gas that we have so therefore we bloat. Making it most noticeable in the abdomen. This relates to biology because it explain how a body decomposes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this chapter was very informative and Mary Roach did an excellent job at informing the readers about the decay of the human body in a way that was understandable, but did not lack any details. I also found the fact that we can't expel gas once we're dead interesting too, and funny as well.
DeleteI agree that it was very informative. I've always wondered exactly what happens when somebody dies and what happens in the body. This chapter definitely answers most of my questions and who new that our dead bodies are more useful then we think. Well, at least to bacteria and bugs.
DeleteI found this chapter to be one of the most interesting in my opinion. Reason why is because I would also question on why body’s decay and I would’ve never thought that leaving them out to decay helped out find how long they’ve been dead for.
ReplyDeleteSome biology concepts in this chapter is that it mainly focuses on the human body decaying and why exactly it is that it does that. It also explains how they human body decaying is useful for some specific situations.
My personal interpretation of this book is that they go to a decaying place where bodies are left on the ground in order from how long they’ve been dead for to decay and to be studied about.
Yep, it's always best to leave your dead body out in the open. Reminds me of an episode of Columbo where a man had placed a heater near the body of an art collector whom he had murdered to make it seem like it had happened later in the day. Temperature is one of the many important factors to find the time of death.
DeleteThe chapter, Life After Death, was more interesting other ones. In this chapter I was able to learn that cadavers are also used for criminal investigation. Bodies are left to decay, scientists take note on smell, time, temperature, and many other factors in order to learn more on a body. It allows criminal investigators to solve cases more efficiently. I found the process to seem similar to carbon dating, because both of the processes show how long something was dead or alive. The chapter also explains how our bodies decay, which was also very interesting. While reading this chapter, I was able to imagine what was going on, they activated all of my senses, even smell.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the way the author was so vivid made you feel like you could all your five senses were suddenly activated and it felt like you were in her shoes. The process they used to decipher the death of a person also reminded me of carbon dating. It was also interesting those little factors like the smell and temperature could determine the time of death.
DeleteI agree with your view on how the cadavers are used for criminal investigations, it was super interesting to me and I learned something new!
DeleteWhat I found so deeply interesting about this chapter is mainly just the way Mary decided to title it. "Life after death" is usually a spiritual term, not so much the process of how our bodies decompose. I think the depth in that is fascinating because it adds depth to what she is trying to say. By using such a title, you think she'll be explaining the supernatural, however she explains what really happens to our bodies physically. And the function makes sense because no one will ever know what happens to us spiritually- ever. We can assume (Like what some would do to the title) but the reality is what we half expected (like what one would say after finishing the chapter). we will ever only know 'Life after death' from observation of the cadavers, to find out what happens to our state of mind can only be found out when one experiences death itself. (not the stopping of the heart, I mean actual death.) So, the reality check that Mary gives us with just a simple title was my fascination in this chapter.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the title of the chapter also made me speculate if Roach was going to mention anything supernatural about life after death - it is usually used as a spiritual term after all. Observing cadavers is all we will ever know about what truly happens after life, and it does give it a more profound meaning. All in all, the chapter was fascinating.
DeleteI agree with what you wrote about questioning whether this chapter was going to be about something spiritual. But no, she talked about the many stages of decaying. She did gave a few fascinating facts about what happens to our body when their decomposing.
DeleteTo start off, this chapter was one of the most vivid chapters ever. I didn't like it because I could actually see the bodies decomposing in my head and it was a little bit disgusting. What I didn't know was that bodies decomposed so fast and there are so many ways to tell when the person died. From potassium levels to there temperature to fly larvae, it just is so incredible. I never imagined that flies could tell you or give a hint as to when a person died. Terms learned in this chapter is definitely the decay stages and how long each takes and how to tell how long something as been dead for. This can apply to anatomy by being able to identify from just pictures when someone has dies. The author really did a great job...Too great a job at describing cadavers in this chapter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the aspect of how descriptive the author was. The way she put everything into words gave you a mental image that isn't really pleasant yet captivating. I was also surprised that flies could hint when a person has died.
DeleteI also agree with you on the part that this chapter was a bit disgusting at points. I too discovered the different ways to hint when a person was dead. I was interested yet disturbed, mostly in learning the different stages of decay. All in all, the author did an amazing job in keeping the reader interested and gave very good, vivid detail.
DeleteThe third chapter of Stiff was different from the first two chapters in the book with it being so vivid. The way the author described the smells and the decedent produced a vivid picture in my head to the point where I would feel slightly nauseated. It was an interesting yet repulsive chapter.
ReplyDeleteThe biology concepts that were addressed were the various stages of decomposition of the cadaver. The decedent could have decay put on hold by embalming, which makes use of the circulatory system to deliver a liquid preservative. One could also notice how long a cadaver has been decaying and if it has decayed in the same spot it was found by examining the dirt for specific fats that start leaking during the decomposition process.
My personal interpretation of the text was that although the way Roach described her surroundings were incredibly vivid, it was also intriguing in a morbid way.
I agree with you on that the third chapter was a little more descriptive than the first two. I also felt a little disgusted by the way Roach described the situation and found some of the descriptions to be very disturbing.
DeleteIt definitely was a different turn of information. I suppose Roach had to start with the gruesome stuff at some time in the book, so why not now? I agree with the biology concepts you mentioned, and I definitely see why you thought it was intriguing in a morbid way.
DeleteI found this chapter interesting because of the different stages of the human body decomposition. Even though many vivid details were used I found them more helpful in understanding than repulsive. This related to anatomy and physiology because it is about the human body and the effects of death and how to preserve a dead body. My interpretation of this chapter is that it was about the stages of body decomposition and it is also about how to preserve the dead body, it was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of the details, only being there to help create a more vivid image of how the composition of the body works. You cant expect the word "decay" to just explain it all.
DeleteI couldn't have said it better myself. Morbid things can usually be very unsettling, but if you're going to be reading a book about cadavers, don't expect to have bunnies and rainbows along with flying poptart cats. Instead, embrace the cold, eerie vibe of death. This would be the case, if Roach did not incorporate the humor in the book.
DeleteThis chapter was not for the light hearted. The author had no problem explaining the processes and stages of the decomposition of the human body with vivid imagery. There was one instance where the person she was with described a smell by comparing it to "chicken soup", which puts things in perspective in an eerie way. This chapter does a good job of giving you the answers to things you wondered about when people die such as bloating and is caused by bacteria passing gas in the body while feeding on their juices. Pretty interesting, but at the same time a little unsettling which is cool.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree when you say that it is not for the light hearted Then again, I would tell that to everyone about to read the book. But let's face it, we're all going to die and we're all going to decompose just like in the chapter. It is definitely unsettling, but still interesting as you said.
DeleteThe process of embalming really caught my attention. Mary roach added some pretty interesting facts about cadavers and what happens to their bodies. She also includes a little bit of humor with Ron Walli. Roach writes about bacteria, cadavers being bloated, and how to make the body seem alive again. She still adds history in this chapter to compare and contrast how things were done. Even cremation is an ugly sight.
ReplyDeleteRoach explains autolysis, or self-digestion. Cells watch over enzymes preventing them from breaking down the cell's wall when a person is alive. Once he/she dies, unsupervised enzymes eat through the cell structure. Enzymes regulate processes chemically to maintain balance even after death. It is part of the life cycle. Putrefaction is in the bloating phase. Its the breaking down and gradual liquefaction of tissue by bacteria. With close analysis of chemicals in the soil some people can tell if a body was moved from where it decayed.
This was the most interesting chapter to, so far.
Yes sir, the facts were definitely a surprise to me. I mean, who would've known decomposition could be used to help find the approximate time of when the death happened? It was pretty disgusting, but also very informational.
ReplyDeleteChapter three was mostly decomposition and the phases which a died body goes threw from once the body dies to years later. Like this is how detectives can find out how long a died body has been been died in could be a break through in cases. Also the decay can be slowed down in cold climate of a died body.
ReplyDeleteChapter three mostly talked about the process of human decay and the different things to do with your body after you have passed on. Oddly enough, this was one of my favorite chapters even though it was extremely gruesome. I feel the vivid imagery in this chapter really lures a reader. It also has really interesting information about the stages that a corpse goes through in the process of decay.
ReplyDeleteThis particular chapter of Stiff was mostly about the process of decaying. They’re numerous of interesting facts decomposition. She explained throughout the book about the many different stages of decay. The decaying bodies goes through chemical and biological phases. She managed to give an extreme detailed descriptions of what’s exactly is happening in the body after someone passed away. I found it pretty gruesome due to the fact that her writing is very intense.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter offered alot of interesting and detailed information on how the body decomposes. For this reason, people must use chemicals to preserve it. For example, in the morgs they have to replace the blood with a liquid and the body becomes very stiff with a different skin texture as well. The author does not hold back anything. She describes things like body fluids and fat leaking, gas, odor, and other disgusting things. However, she mentions what causes this to happen so the reader can learn a lot. I was grossed out by this chapter but it still interested me and kept me reading.
ReplyDeleteI’ve always loved decomposition—and all that that implies—unequivocally making “Life After Death” one of my favorite chapters in the book. Sure, crime scene investigation shows can say that forensic scientists detect the time of death through decomposition (and make us feel all smart and gooey inside), but Stiff explains the inner-workings of that operation: to use potassium gel levels in the eyes as well as algor mortis to determine time of death. She also explains the biological and chemical phases that occur in the body postmortem. A pretty touchy subject indeed… Maybe one we’ll get our hands on during the course of this year…
ReplyDeleteThis chapter of Stiff by Mary Roach mainly focused on decomposition and decaying of the human body, "life after death". It was discussed that to preserve a body chemicals are needed. The author makes sure to include all the disgusting things too! She mentions the odors and everything! This chapter was in my opinion the most gruesome as well as hard to read. It wasn't pleasant but that still doesn't make me forget the fact that the facts were super interesting and I learned MANY new things.
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