Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Mary Roach does an impeccable job of discussing a complicated topic in an approachable way. Death and dying are topics that make many people uncomfortable, but ultimately dying is something everyone is going to experience at some point. I went into this book already having a very open mindset about cadavers. I was already interested in donating my organs, and have explored the idea of donating my body to science. I believe that all of us benefit from advances in medicine that have happened as a result of people who came before us donating their bodies to science, and it is only right to do my part and allow for the continuation of this process. This book helped me appreciate how truly wide the impact of cadavers on research is. Some of these uses are not so glamourous, but ultimately a lot of advances in automotive safety, forensics, and medicine have come about as a result of working with cadavers. I was also glad to find out that this is not an exposé about how cadavers are mistreated in today's society. Instead, it brought tears to my eyes to read about how many people treat cadavers with a lot of respect and care. I previously assumed that most people working in the medical field would treat cadavers as equipment or solely biological material. Surprisingly, many medical students treat the cadavers with a lot of reverence and care, and it made me more accepting of the idea of donating my own body. When this book was recommended to me, I did not realize that it came out back in 2003. I think overall many of the sentiments about the dead have not changed since its release– many Americans are still divided about burying embalmed bodies vs choosing cremation, and “green burials” are still far from mainstream. I do feel that the content is still important, and its focus on the history of cadavers also makes the book timeless. It will always be interesting to read about how intertwined medical schools and grave robbing were, and the myths and facts of cannibalism in the past. I would definitely recommend this book to others, with the caveat that it probably isn't for the squeamish. I work in medical research and have seen a number of gross things in my time, but I could still feel my hands get a little clammy reading Roach describe some of the sights and smells she encountered during her fieldwork. I would honestly love to see Roach work on an update to Stiff at some point as I would be very curious to see how the field has changed over time. Are there new areas of research that require the use of cadavers? Are there fields where the use of cadavers has been retired? Research at body farms is ongoing in the US; what new developments have there been over the last 20 years and what is being planned for the future? Looking forward to reading [b:Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife 14990 Spook Science Tackles the Afterlife Mary Roach https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401287778l/14990.SX50.jpg 2398507], [b:Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal 18377999 Gulp Adventures on the Alimentary Canal Mary Roach https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391866061l/18377999.SX50.jpg 19216563], and [b:Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law 56769577 Fuzz When Nature Breaks the Law Mary Roach https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1619615618l/56769577.SY75.jpg 88729211] soon!