The Corpse: A History [Library Binding]

Christine Quigley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996 | ISBN-10: 0786401702 | ISBN-13: 978-0786401703

Throughout the centuries, different cultures have established a variety of procedures for handling and disposing of corpses. Often the methods are directly associated with the deceased's position in life, such as a pharaoh's mummification in Egypt or the cremation of a Buddhist. Treatment by the living of the dead over time and across cultures is the focus of study. Burial arrangements and preparations are detailed, including embalming, the funeral service, storage and transport of the body, and forms of burial. Autopsies and the investigative process of causes of deliberate death are fully covered. Preservation techniques such as cryonic suspension and mummification are discussed, as well as a look at the "recycling" of the corpse through organ donation, donation to medicine, animal scavengers, cannibalism, and, of course, natural decay and decomposition. Mistreatments of a corpse are also covered.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The significance of the corpse in society reflects what we think about death and dying, notes Quigley. How the living deal with the lifeless body is based on a profoundly complicated set of cultural values. Quigley's Death Dictionary: Over 5500 Clinical, Legal, Literary and Vernacular Terms (McFarland, 1994), which chronicled a staggering number of euphemisms for death, made her aware of the many ways society has viewed the experience of death. Quigley here provides an historical overview of how Europeans treated and disposed of the dead. Specifically, she looks at the role of the corpse during the process of grief and how it has been prepared for funeral rites, as well as its value to other interested parties such as medical examiners. Based primarily on monographic sources, Quigley's book does not offer a major contribution to academic scholarship; it is, however, a fascinating and well-researched documentation of a compelling topic. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.?Mary Hemmings, Univ. of Calgary, Alberta
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"a fascinating and well-researched documentation of a compelling topic" -- Library Journal

"compendious" -- Social History of Medicine

"well referenced...comprehensive" -- Science and Justice 1998

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 358 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786401702
• ISBN-13: 978-0786401703
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,368,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where will your corpse REALLY go after death?, December 25, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Corpse: A History (Library Binding)

Now, I have seen 5 stars handed out to almost anything on these reviews, but believe me...this book deserves it. I first heard about this book after reading an article on author Christine Quigley in the Washington D.C. City Paper. Since I don't have a computer, it took me forever to find "The Corpse". But after I finally got a hold of it and a chance to sit down and read the whole thing, it was WELL worth the wait. Packed with page after page of real-life accounts, this little gem covers all kinds of stories imaginable about the trips some corpses have taken after being relieved of life. Including such strange facts as odd discovery locations, devices developed to aid the prematurely buried, and even corpses that have wed one another. Quigley's writing never allows a single drag, beautifully backing her immense load of true stories with bits of historic and scientific explanations to help clarify reasons why and how such things could happen. "The Corpse" has definately risen to the list of favorite books I have ever read, and rightfully so. If the topics of death and where the body goes after death interests you, "The Corpse: A History" is fantastic. A very down-to-earth and brutally honest look at the realities of post-mortem events.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Corpse: A history, May 6, 2006

By 

J. Allgood "crime reader" (Hants GB) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Corpse: A History (Paperback)

This is a very interesting book if you like reading about corpses and the different aspects of what can be done to bodies. Most of the book is about historical data and what happened to corpses 'in the old days'. Well worth a read.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, March 10, 2006

By 

Sharon Lee "sspinky2" (Falls Church, va United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Corpse: A History (Paperback)

The subject matter helps to de-mystify the process of death. Unfortunately, I have various concerns about the author's facts. Her writing (or somebody's editing) paid little heed to syntax, grammar and punctuation. The index is not useful.

For example, she states on page 287 that in the District of Columbia, "unclaimed bodies are cremated after 30 days". Yet the "Washington Post" recently ran several articles about bodies stacked like logs at the DC morgue for months at a time. Employees at the morgue quit their jobs because of the stench, poor management, and health hazards.

On page 161, a mine explosion in Jacob's Creek, Pennsylvania, killed "2 to 300 workers." That's a 99% variance, by my calculation, and an unacceptable one to boot (anyway, whatever happened to the other 298??).

I don't know where Ms. Quigley is at present but I hope she's not at Georgetown U any longer. Georgetown has a reputation to protect and Washington does not need another "inside" story, much less an "Assistant Director of Academic Affairs," (administrative assistant?) with a rapid-fire style of writing that will pepper the reader with facts but miss their meaning.

I'd go with Mary Roach any time, and she's more enjoyable to read, also. The book is not without useful information, but, Ms. Quigley presents herself as an over-eager B-list party-crasher.