Cadaveric Research Articles

Body narratives in the film Marry My Dead Body: Symbols, Power, History

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the body narrative in the Taiwanese comedy film Marry My Dead Body, exploring how bodily representations serve as a vehicle for examining Taiwan's complex social and cultural contexts. Utilizing Foucault's theory of discourse and power, this study investigates the narrative strategies and power dynamics embedded in the film's portrayal of bodies. The contrasting depictions of human, ghostly, and gendered bodies dissolve conventional fears surrounding ghosts and death, while simultaneously addressing the contentious issue of same-sex marriage. Through the characters Mao Mao and Ming Han, the film reflects Taiwan's intricate social fabric, where traditional and modern gender roles intersect. Mao Mao’s body symbolizes Taiwan's evolving gender culture, while Ming Han's body embodies traditional Chinese gender symbols, making bodily representation a multifaceted carrier of cultural, social, and historical meanings. This analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of gender culture in Taiwan, challenging the conventional view of LGBTQ+ representation in contemporary Taiwanese cinema.

MODIFIED LOW-DOSE FORMALIN PRESERVATION: IN THE ANATOMICAL-SURGICAL DISSECTION & PROSECTED ANATOMICAL MODELS: A CASE REPORT

The development of cadaver preservation has been fast-paced. The subtraction of formalin dose in embalming has been used since many negative factors were found in long-term usage. Preventing putrefaction progress on the cadavers, ensuring no risk of infection when in contact with a dead body, preventing hardening and retention of color tissue and organs, preventing desiccation, inhibit fungal or bacterial growth are the main goals of embalming for anatomical purposes. The new formula has been developed by using low-dose formalin, ethanol, phenol, and sodium chloride (Modified Low-Dose Formalin). This method can be used in practical anatomical-surgical dissection using either cadavers or anatomical models with low-cost maintenance.

The inviolability and value of the human body and the corpse in the Islamic legal tradition

This article examines how the inviolability (hurma) of the human body is conceived of and negotiated within juristic discourses on the paradigmatic hypothetical case of the starving person from the fifth/eleventh through seventh/thirteenth centuries. The Islamic legal tradition documents lively juristic discussions and debates on hypothetical cases of necessity, many of which implicate foundational questions of value and the inviolability of the human body. At a basic level, necessity applies to a situation in which someone must ‘break’ the law or fail to fulfill a legal obligation, in order to escape the threat of serious harm to something of high value (usually, life, limb, or health). The jurists constructed multiple hypothetical cases of necessity that implicate the inviolability of the human body, including the cases of the starving person, excision of gangrenous tissue, and cesarian section, as well as numerous fact patterns of coercion. This article considers the challenging issues of inflicting serious bodily harm on others and on oneself in order to preserve life, including inflicting harm on the living and on the dead, as well as self-harm. It provides an account and analysis of both the substance and mechanics of fiqh argument, or how jurists reasoned through complex questions of value that also have substantial bases in conceptions of the human body, medicine, logic, and reasonableness through the language and method of the fiqh. This article argues that the evidence and methods of argumentation employed by the jurists reveal significant diversity and tensions in juristic method and understandings of value and subjectivity in the fiqh, as well as in the construction of the foundational concepts of inviolability (hurma) and (legal) protection ('isma). Furthermore, it shows that in the starving person paradigm, the jurists explored the boundary between (non-human) animality and humanity, and grappled with how to locate the (dead) human body within legal thought, and how to operationalize the higher degree of respect accorded to the human body than to non-human bodies. Finally, it examines the ways in which these discourses provide material for considering the functions of subjectivity, emotions, and moral aversion in the law.

Archives of the Afterlife: The Disappearance of the British Empire's Dead in Twentieth-Century China.

For a century, from the First Opium War (1839-1842) to the beginning of the Second World War (1937-1945) in China, cemeteries were established in many Chinese cities for the growing population of foreign dead, the majority of whom were British citizens. However, the retreat of the British Empire, the Chinese Civil War (1946-1949), and the People's Republic of China's desire for growth affected British necropolises. This article shows that despite the compassion and efforts of the Foreign Office and consular staff, bureaucratic hurdles and established legal precedents made it impossible to protect British cemeteries, especially after the destruction of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Diving into the archives of the afterlife of the British Empire's dead, we learn how dead bodies continue to matter greatly in the distant memories of living relatives, in the secularized bureaucratic exchanges, and in the diplomatic power play.

Using fresh frozen cadaveric rib cartilage graft for nasal septal perforation repair.

The anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) flap has been demonstrated to be a reliable option for endoscopic repair of symptomatic nasal septal perforations. The use of fresh frozen cadaveric rib cartilage has been described as a safe alternative graft for rhinoplasty procedures. The aim of this study was to discuss our initial outcomes of use of cadaveric rib cartilage graft in combination with the AEA flap in endoscopic nasal septal perforation repair. A single institution retrospective case series of all consecutive patients who underwent repair of nasal septal perforation utilizing the AEA flap combined with a cadaveric rib cartilage between December of 2022 to August of 2024 was conducted. Demographics and comorbidities were collected preoperatively. The main outcome of this study was surgical success rate defined as closure of the septal perforation. Six patients were included. Four out of six patients had previously failed septal perforation repair, and two patients had a concomitant open septorhinoplasty after raising the AEA flap endoscopically. Overall success rate for complete closure was 100% with mean follow up of 9.5months (range of 2-22months). No major or minor direct postoperative adverse events were encountered. Initial outcomes of use of the endoscopic AEA flap in combination with a cadaveric rib cartilage graft for closure of a nasal septal perforation are promising. Future studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow up time would be useful to verify these outcomes.

Biomaterial-based strategies for primary human corneal endothelial cells for therapeutic applications: from cell expansion to transplantable carrier.

The treatment of corneal blindness due to corneal diseases and injuries often requires the transplantation of healthy cadaveric corneal endothelial graft tissue to restore corneal clarity and visual function. However, the limited availability of donor corneas poses a significant challenge in meeting the demand for corneal transplantation. As a result, there is a growing interest in developing strategies alleviate this unmet need, and one of the postulated approaches is to isolate and expand primary human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) in vitro for use in cell therapy. This review summarizes the recent advancements in the expansion of HCECs using biomaterials. Two principal biomaterial-based approaches, including extracellular matrix (ECM) coating and functionalized synthetic polymers, have been investigated to create an optimal microenvironment for the expansion and maintenance of corneal endothelial cells (CECs). This review highlights the challenges and opportunities in expanding primary HCECs using biomaterials. It emphasizes the importance of optimizing biomaterial properties, cell culture conditions, and the roles of biophysical cues to achieve efficient expansion and functional maintenance of CECs. Biomaterial-based strategies hold significant promise for expanding primary HCECs and improving the outcomes of CEC transplantation. The integration of biomaterials as cell culture substrates and transplantable carriers offers a comprehensive approach to address the limitations associated with current corneal tissue engineering techniques.

‘Heavy Waters’ of Punjab: A Hydro-critical Analysis of Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy Man

This research argues that the seminal Partition novel Ice-Candy Man, written by Bapsi Sidhwa, presents a vision of fluvial Punjab in a manner that fits the idea of “Heavy Waters” presented by Elizabeth DeLoughrey. The latter’s idea of water carrying both physical and metaphysical waste seems to materialize in Sidhwa’s novel, who places her story in the context of the partitioned Punjab of 1947, when a desire for ‘territorialism’ over water resulted in countless human beings turning into ‘national refuse’, or people killed in the name of nationality, whose dead bodies floating in the rivers of the Punjab turned the rivers into both a haunting site and a site foreboding an environmental crisis sooner or later. Hydro-criticism emerges as an apt theory to carry out this research, considering the tools it provides to look at literary texts from a watery perspective, while the research methodology involves a close textual analysis, with specific focus on events pertaining to water in the novel. The study concludes that a) If Elizabeth DeLoughrey’s hydro-critical lens can aid in understanding the pain of Middle Passage victims and the defiling of the Atlantic Ocean, the same theory may help read indigenous texts to pay tribute to Pakistan’s water bodies, and b) If Atlantic modernity is metallic due to the residue it carries of British naval weaponry, then overt sexual activity taking place in Pakistan and India can be linked to the ample flesh that lies in the waters of the Subcontinent.

The Embodiment of Law and Law of the Body. The Body as Law Phenomenon

The article is devoted to the reasoning of the body as a legal phenomenon. After all, although the body is ontologically the closest thing to us, from the legal point of view it is one of the most mysterious legal phenomena. Thus, traditional jurisprudence usually divides all legal beings into subjects of law (the state, individuals and legal entities, the nation, etc.) and objects of legal relations (estate, material evidence, objects of dispute, etc.). However, the body cannot be identified within these criteria. On the one hand, the body itself is not a subject of law. After all, purely disembodied, abstract entities, such as legal entities or the state, are subjects of law, sometimes without any material “embodiment”. On the other hand, purely corporeal existence does not guarantee legal personality, since, for example, the presence of a dead body in itself indicates its absence. This state of affairs is fully reflected in the national legislation of Ukraine. Its analysis shows that the human body is not defined as an independent object of legal regulation, and there is no corresponding legal regime. The most symptomatic manifestation of the total disregard for the legal issues of the body is the absence of a corresponding term even in special medical legislation regulating organ transplantation, health care, and medical assistance. Therefore, the phenomenon of the body currently remains outside the attention of Ukrainian lawyers. This leads to the lack of conceptual reasoning of the body as a legal phenomenon and uncertainty of legal regulation of the human body as such. So, it can be stated that the phenomenon of the body needs to be comprehended from a philosophical and legal point of view. The result of such comprehension is the identification of the following ontological features of the body as a legal phenomenon: syncretism, liminality and intentionality of the body. This, in turn, gives grounds to assert that normativity is immanently present in the body, when the body itself is a hypothesis and disposition for others, and the impossibility of communication with it is a sanction. As a result, the author concludes that the inviolability of the body should be enshrined in law and the relevant amendments should be made to the Civil and Criminal Codes of Ukraine.

Crime Scene Examination of Murder Case

This case study is based on a crime scene examination murder of a young person. This case was reported in the police station located in the north-northeast district of Delhi, India. An unknown dead body was found lying on the roadside with a head injury, suspected to be a road accident. A team of forensic experts was called for a crime scene examination. After examination, it was observed that the body had multiple injuries. There was a blood pattern seen behind the hand and the head of the dead body. This was a suspicion of a murder case, instead road accident. After body identification by the family members and the last location of the victim, the place of murder i.e. house has been identified and examined by the expert team and found a lot of incriminating evidence from the scene of the crime. A two-wheeler was recovered suspected to be used to dump the dead body on the roadside. After examination of the vehicle, clue material found it was found. After a complete examination of the spot and vehicle, sufficient forensic evidence was collected and preserved to establish the crime was murder, not a road accident. This case study involved the application of scientific tools, interpretation of the sequence of evidence at the scene, systematic study of case-related information, and the logical formulation of a theory to give the proper information to the investigating agency. It has been concluded that the boy was murdered in the room and dumped roadside by using the bike.

Buddhist Tāmāṅs Funerals: Nirvana as an Ultimate Goal of Rituals

The purpose of this research article is to describe Buddhist way of funeral rituals of Tāmāṅs, who are the biggest Buddhist indigenous ethnic people of Nepal. They believe cycles of life, reincarnation, good deeds and enlightenment. The rituals that take place around death and funerals are to help the deceased to die in peaceful mind and get nirvana i.e. salvation. They believe in reincarnation and the freeing of the soul. To them, the death is a natural part of the cycle of life and how a person acts throughout their life will determine their future lives after death through reincarnation. Therefore, the death should occur in a calm and peaceful environment with family in attendance. The ultimate goal is to liberate from life and rebirth so they can reach the state of nirvana. To achieve this, they must get rid themselves of worldly desires and all notions of self, ultimately attaining total enlightenment. In the research conducted area, the dead body is found to have been either cremated or buried in ridge. The Buddhist monks i.e. Lamas lead the ceremony. The mourning periods are usually 3rd, 7th, 21st or 49th day after the death of a person. The mourners wear white strips of cloth during the mourning period.

Workload Factors Influencing Mental Health and the Intent to Leave Job During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Analysis of Healthcare Workers Handling Mass Fatalities in the United States

This study examines the impact of workload demands on mental distress and job retention among healthcare workers (HCWs) handling mass fatalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We utilized a cross-sectional validated survey to collect self-reported data from 206 HCWs in the United States between April and May of 2023. The survey measured various dimensions of workload, including mental, physical, and temporal demands, as well as frustration, and their effects on mental distress and the intent to leave their job. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was employed to analyze the relationships among these variables, providing robust insights into the direct and indirect effects of workload demands on mental distress and job retention. Our findings reveal significant associations between mental, physical, and temporal demands, frustration, and increased mental distress, which in turn heightened the intent to leave their job. Mental distress emerged as a critical mediator, linking workload demands to job retention decisions. This study highlights the cycle of understaffing and workload intensification, exacerbated during pandemics, which contributes to higher turnover rates. It underscores the need for targeted interventions to alleviate workload pressures, especially the physical exertion and mental distress associated with handling dead bodies. This support can help improve HCWs’ mental health and job retention, ultimately enhancing the resilience of healthcare systems in crisis situations.

"Man vs. Machine: 3D Milling of Auricular Frameworks".

Autologous rib harvest with manual framework production is the current gold standard for microtia reconstruction. Recent clinical success with implantation of cadaveric costal cartilage grafts opens the possibility of point of care auricular framework production. This paper assesses the feasibility and efficiency of 3D milling of cadaveric costal cartilage for auricular framework production. A Nagata/Firmin style auricular framework was manually carved en bloc out of soap and 3D scanned to design a milling toolpath on a desktop 3-axis computer numerical control (CNC) machine. An en bloc framework was then milled from cadaveric costal cartilage. Time to mill a complete framework was recorded. The dimensional/volumetric analyses were performed. The main outcome measures were total time to mill a complete auricular framework out of cadaveric cartilage and dimensional/volumetric comparisons to the model ear. Total milling time for the cartilage framework was approximately 7 min. Finalizing steps took an extra 20 min. Total time to produce a final framework ready for implantation was approximately 27 min, compared to the traditional 1-2 h by manual carving. All dimensional comparisons were within 2 mm to the manually carved model. Volumetric analysis showed 71% similarity. En bloc cadaveric costal cartilage framework milling is both feasible and efficient. 3D milling significantly reduces framework production time and allows for accurate reconstruction of the complex ear geometry, which can translate to cost savings, optimized patient safety, and potential for patient-specific reconstruction. The next step toward achieving clinical application is ensuring framework sterility.

Study Of Unknown Dead Bodies Brought For Post Mortem In Tertiary Hospital

Background: Medico legal autopsies are conducted in India in two circumstances: cases where a person has died because of unnatural circumstances and where the body of the deceased is unidentified. The present study relates to the latter of the two aforementioned circumstances, i.e. where the dead body is not identified. Methodology: In present descriptive prospective study the size and magnitude of problems regarding unidentified bodies. Also the profile of unidentified dead bodies such as age, cause of death, post-mortem interval, manner of death, seasonal trends, area (urban or rural), place from where the body was recovered was studied Results: Total 1919 bodies were brought to us of which 169 cases were selected. The mean age of the patients was 44.82±14.83 years with male predominance. Most of the cases were identified on the basis of the clothes belonging and 16.57% bodies were brought from the rural areas. Majority of the unidentified bodies were found in the autumn season (28.99 %). Maximum unidentified dead bodies were discovered at religious places (n= 64, 37.87 %). In the present study, most deaths were natural, n=114 (67.46 %) and the majority of autopsies were performed between 4 and 6 days (n= 73, 43.20%) Regarding the cause of death according to police records in the present study, it was determined that there were the most cases of illness/ diseased condition (n=55). Conclusion: Unknown/unclaimed should be presented for autopsy forthwith without any delay so that decomposition and other artifacts do not set in and obscure the findings of the postmortem examination

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among health care professionals in a tertiary hospital regarding handling COVID 19 deceased bodies – A questionnaire based study.

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice in handling Covid 19 deceased bodies among health care professionals. Methodology: A pre validated questionnaire consisting of questions to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards dead body care handlingand disposal of Covid 19 bodies was given in using google forms to the study participant which included the healthcare professionals working at present in a tertiary care hospital. The responses were categorized into two professional categories: nursing staff and medical doctors. The average positive responses for knowledge, attitude, and practice questions were calculated for each category. Results: The study was conducted among 140 participants (61 nurses and 79 doctors). It was found that on comparing their knowledge of handling COVID-19 deceased individuals, 73.31% of nursing staff and only 67.88% of medical doctors had accurate knowledge on the subject.When it comes to the attitude while handling COVID-19 deceased individuals, 45.07% of nursing staff and 44.3% of medical doctors exhibited a positive attitude.When it comes to practice of handling COVID-19 deceased individuals, 40.97% of nursing staff and only 34.17% of medical doctors exhibited proper practice. Conclusion: The findings reveal that nursing staff possess higher levels of accurate knowledge and a positive attitude, though the difference is not statistically significant. However, both groups demonstrate gaps in proper practices concerning the handling of COVID-19 deceased bodies. This study highlights the importance of ongoing training and awareness to improve safe handling procedures, thereby reducing the risk of infection transmission to healthcare professionals.

Autopsy of an unknown dead person to find out cause of death- A massive cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

Introduction: Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is one of the lethal and most debilitating type of stroke affecting more than 1 million people globally every year. Most common cause of ICH is hypertension and responsible for about 70% of all ICH. Case report: Sealed dead body of 45 years old unknown male brought for autopsy to find out the cause of death. Patient was admitted to district hospital with unconscious state. Status of vital at time of admission was 210/110. Autopsy finding: No external injury was present on the body. No internal injury or abnormality seen on opening neck, chest and abdomen.Facial bone intact. No abnormality detected at scalp, cranial bone and meninges. External surface of brain was normal and intact. Brain was soft and congested. On sectioning of cerebral hemisphere huge hematoma of size 6.0×4.5 cm was present in deep left cerebral hemisphere. Conclusion: Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for ICH. ICH is a medical emergency with high chances of morbidity as well as mortality. Advancement in early diagnosis and neurocritical care have improved and increased the survival.

Sexual Dimorphism in the Length of the Corpus Callosum in Cadaver

Context: Several texts and literature suggest that corpus callosum may be sexually dimorphic. Previous researchers found that the length of the corpus callosum is larger in males than in females. Reviewing various foreign literature found that the length of the corpus callosum may change in many diseases in Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. So, knowledge of the normal morphological difference of the length of corpus callosum between Bangladeshi males and females is essential for the diagnosis in brain imaging and treatment of those diseases. Objective: The present study was conducted to provide data on the length of the corpus callosum of our people, which can be used to set a standard measurement for the Bangladeshi population. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was done in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from July 2009 to June 2010, based on the collection of 60 human brains (male 36 and female 24) from unclaimed dead bodies. The lengths were measured by using digital slide calipers in mm. Results: The mean length of the corpus callosum in males and females in groups A, B, C & D (grouping in done on age difference) were 68.04 ± 0.99 and 67.03 ± 0.05 mm, 67.50 ± 0.13 and 67.02 ± 0.03 mm and 67.51 ± 0.03 and 67.02 ± 0.03 mm respectively. Conclusion: Statistically significant differences were found between males and females in all age groups in the length of the corpus callosum.

Corpse Encounters: An Aesthetics of Death

Through emphasising corpses and their aesthetically reimagined versions, Jacqueline Elam and Chase Pielak, in their book Corpse Encounters: An Aesthetics of Death, strive to expound upon the encounters with death so as to discern not only the ways corpses are conceptualised within the limits of systems of meaning but also to untangle the relation between self and the other underlined in one’s own disposition towards death. Hence, the book incorporates a meticulous effort to establish a framework whose undertone calls for a reconsideration of the supposed demarcation between life and death in order to identify aesthetic figurations with which the possibility for an afflux that can distort as well as reaffirm images inscribed into dead bodies emerges.

Death and mourning in times of COVID-19. The experience of Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa

The paper deals with the effects of the regulations and restrictions on the handling of corpses and funerals among Zimbabwean migrant families who lost relatives in South Africa during the COVID-19 epidemic in the years 2020 and 2021. Interviews were conducted with members of this migrant community. The interviews revealed a range of affective and material dimensions entangled in these multiple losses, highlighting therefore experiences of truncated grief. Restrictions on funerals and burials forced immobility on the living and their dead; on bereaved communities, themselves and their corpses are forms of biopower that multiplied losses among cross-border migrant communities. The loss of autonomy of communities around death rituals and burial places constitute realms where the materiality of death is revealed. I look at both the loss of human life and the emotional losses associated with the limitations imposed on the dead body under COVID-19.

From Cattle to Beef Onscreen: Animal Rendering as Extraction in Industrial Livestock Films

This essay sets out to ask what happens if we consider the raising, killing, and distribution of livestock animals as a form of extraction alongside other more recognizable forms such as mining or logging. It focuses on a series of livestock films made by the agriculture industry during the 1940s and 1950s, including Cattle Country (Elizabeth Zinkan, 1944), Know Your Meat (John R. Humphreys, 1945), Cattle and the Cornbelt (Leo Seltzer, 1949), and Herds West (Avalon Daggett, 1955), among others. I argue that the procedure described by Nicole Shukin as “animal rendering,” in which animal bodies are processed into both useable commodities and powerful images, is a crucial component of so-called “extractive media.” Through close analysis of how factory farming films set out to transform living, breathing animals into both lively images of American agriculture and dead bodies on a massive scale, I demonstrate how, even in this overdetermined context, the material specificity of documentary film contains indexical links to the original animals and thus allows the films to contain meanings beyond those intended by their industrial creators.

Disposal of SARS-CoV-2 corpses: experiences of environmental health officers

BackgroundThough the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is no more of a public health emergency, the experiences from burying SARS-CoV-2 infectious dead bodies may remain with the workers. For Environmental Health Officers (EHOs), dealing with decedents during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak may arouse strong feelings of pity, horror, repulsion, disgust, and anger at the tragedy. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experiences of EHOs in disposing off of confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 fatalities in Ghana.MethodsUsing an 18-item interview guide, we gathered data from 27 EHOs from three regions of Ghana. We followed the steps in Descriptive Phenomenology in conducting the data analysis.Resultsi. EHOs were confronted with several occupational health and safety (OHS) hazards like physical and chemical injuries, threat of harm, and psychological harm, ii. The officers also faced severe shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). Unfortunately, they were not provided with any form of psychological support during the period.ConclusionThe SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Ghana exposed major fault lines in the health and safety/disaster and emergency preparedness of EHOs towards the burial of infectious disease dead bodies. Clearly, the disposal exercise failed to uphold the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4.4, 8.3, and 8.5, which advocate for the promotion of decent jobs for all.RecommendationGhana’s Ministries of Health, Local Government, and Sanitation and Water Resources need to attach Clinical Psychologists and security personnel to the disposal teams in future exercises to provide psychological support and security to the team. Though studies on the disposal of infectious bodies in Africa exist, very little is known about the experiences of EHOs in the disposal of SARS-CoV-2 dead bodies during the outbreak.